Bat Fish

As a complete contrast to the smallish fish that have been described so far, we come to the giant bat fish. This fish, although often acquired at2.5-7.5cm (1-3in) long, will grow prodigiously, even in an aquarium and very soon reaches 25-30cm (10-12in) in size, being tall rather than long. It is one of the few fish that actually outgrows its immediate environment, and many autarkists are faced with the problem of either buying another tank or part-exchanging their rapidly expanding fish. Bat fish like to 'rule' a tank by swimming unhindered in the open spaces and as long as other fish do not challenge this right of way, bat fish are normally content to live with any other fish, from small gobies up to larger groupers and triggers. However, choosing tank mates can be problem.

Bat fish are normally bought when small and at that size the yare very vulnerable and can soon end up quite battered, since their only natural protection seems to be their intimidating adult size. Obviously batfish will only grow if they are sufficiently well-fed - they are constantly hungry and seemingly greedy fish that eat virtually anything. Unfortunately, this includes most invertebrates, including supposedly poisonous species such as anemones.

The round fin bat fish (Platelayer, it is the size of a plate. The orbicular is) - here with a cleaner long-finned batfish (Plat ax Tierra) is wrasse - starts off like an autumn leaf also striking as a juvenile. It’s long, drifting in the current. A few months flowing fins seem to shorten as it ages. Bat fish is generally found in Indo Pacific, Philippines etc.

Distemper Dog

The name "distemper" is a misnomer but evolved in days gone by from many maladies that were called "a distemper."Benjamin Franklin writes in his autobiography that he had "a distemper" for many months.

There is no doubt that this one disease was responsible for dog population control in days prior to preventive inoculations.

So feared by dog owners and once the scourge of dogs, distemper is now rapidly dwindling in incidence. Although still a menace in some areas, in others it has been practically eliminated and is approaching the status of human poliomyelitis in its infrequency. The control of distemper is ass eloquent demonstration of the excellent results of cooperation between researchers, veterinarians, and dog owners.

Distemper is a disease of the epithelial tissue, which covers the body inside and out. All of the mucous membranes, such as the lining of the nose, the mouth, the tissue around the eyes, the intestinal lining, the internal genital organs, and the bladder lining, are attacked, as are the glands and those cells that secrete substances.

Although the incubation period is five to seven days, some dogs appear to develop signs of distemper many weeks after known exposure. Puppies taken from shelters that cannot afford to give inoculations may be normal until five days from exposure, at which time they have a sudden elevation of temperature to perhaps 504° F. At this time vomiting and listlessness are evident, as well as photophobia,or a fear of light, in many cases. In a few days the temperature returns to normal and the dog acts better, but for only a day or two, and then the temperature rises again to 504° F or higher. It is thought by many that the initial viral attack weakens the dog no that opportunist bacteria, which are always present, can flourish in the damaged tissue. In any event, a dry cough, purulent eye and nose discharges, diarrhea, and vomiting may all be present.

Bird Decor

Did you ever pass through a birdhouse and took notice of them? Are you a real bird lover? If you answered, “yes” or even “may be” then, read on about how to take care of your feathered friends by providing them with a good bird dйcor in their house.

Bird decoration may include bird posters, bird pictures, birdbaths, bird wallpaper, other types of bird dйcor, and the recommended bird products will show how much you love your bird. Following are the bird dйcor that are very necessary in order to decorate your birdhouse.

Natural branches

Choose perches made of natural branches in the birdhouse. The cleaned natural fruits and tress branches give the birdcage an outdoor feeling while providing essential postures for the bird’s feet. The varied thickness of branches helps for excising muscles and adds an interesting look to the birdhouse.

Food and water

Pick food and water bowls, which are double as play areas. Choose the bowls attached to mirrors with beads. These add color to the birdcage and also provide an activity for your pet bird. This decoration is good for a pickery eater. Since, they may choose to stop at the bowl to play and try the food too.

Bird Carrier

What would you do when you have to take a trip out for a couple of days or weeks, without some one being able to watch over your birds? Nowadays, it is possible to bring or take your bird cage with you where ever you like. Your feathered friends will make a good companionship along the long trip. Bird carriers are ideal for carrying your bird with you.

A travel bird carrier is an essential accessory for a bird owner. On any trip such as car trips, road trips, or traveling by plane, your bird needs a comfortable and safe way to travel. Travel carrier does not need to be as big as your bird’s actual house but it should be large enough for the bird to fit comfortably and move around a bit. A smaller bird carrier will be enough for your bird for a short trip. For a long trip a larger bird carrier is recommended.

You can use a bird carrier to take your bird to the vet, to grooming or any other places. You will not regret it once you find the right bird travel cage for your bird. Now with the aid of bird carrier you and your lovely bird can travel happily together.

Generally, for different types of trips you will require different types of bird carriers. Ideally, you should get a bird carrier, which is flexible for any trip options. For instance, if you are taking the bird carrier on the plane, make sure the bird carrier is approved by the airlines.

Softbill Bird Food

The most important point to remember when feeding softballs is that careful attention should be paid to hygiene. Most of their food is perishable and should be freshly prepared at all times and any leftovers removed before they become tainted.

All softballs require more complicated feeding routines than seedeaters. The diet normally includes the following items. Proprietary brands of both fine grade and coarse grade insectile mixtures for soft bills can be obtained at pet food stores. The mixture should form a basic part of the diet, fine grade for the smaller species, including small insectivorous, omnivorous and frugivorous birds, and coarse grade for larger softballs, such as fruit suckers, jays and starlings. Lnsectile mixtures are not perishable, but should he store in airtight containers to preserve their moisture. These mixtures contain a well-balanced blend of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Nectar mixture is important to all types of softballs and essential for the nectarivorous species. Proprietary brands of nectar powder may be purchased. These mixtures are easy to prepare in the correct strength. They may be mixed with pure clear honey and warm water, instead of sugar, if desired. Honey contains less carbohydrate than sugar, so provides less energy but is not so fattening. A very active bird needs sugar, while a inure lethargic species lives well on honey. As many different types of fruit as possible should be offered. It must be ripe, but not over ripe, and unhruised. Chop all fruit into small cubes. Oranges, however, may sometimes he cut in half and suspended on pieces of string near favorite perching spot.

Discount Bird Feeders

Many people love to watch out the activities of birds by hanging a bird feeder. Bird feeders can be of various types, each designed according to the feeding habits of some specific species of birds. If you are willing to beautify your garden, see beautiful birds coming in, keeping a bird feeder would be an excellent idea. Bird feeders are easily available in pet shops and bird aviaries and stores along with bird keeping accessories. The internet is another source of buying discount bird feeders.

While buying discount bird feeders, remember not to compromise with its quality. Bird feeders of low quality are not durable. They are also not well designed to keep the squirrels away. The bird feeders must also have proper perching space so that they can eat the seeds filled inside the feeders with comfort. The price of the bird feeders also depends upon the shape and the material with which they are made up of.

You may also look out for bird feeders on discount in the internet. There are many shopping portals that would offer you with quality feeders for birds at reasonable rates. Online you will get detailed information of the feeder and images from different angles to have a close look at the bird feeder choices. The shopping cart system of the portals with secured monetary transaction system would help you to buy a good bird feeder on discount. The following are some types of bird feeders on discount that can be bought online.

Squirrel Buster and Wild Bird Feeder – The feeder is designed with six feeding points, with perches and a ring for the cardinals. The material used for making the product is UV-stabilized polycarbonate plastic. A spring mechanism has been introduced to close the seed eating points in order to prevent squirrels from eating. The feeder parts can be easily dismantled and then fixed up in order for cleaning purposes. It has also a good seed ventilation system. The present price of the product has been reduced from$100.00 to $65.49.

How Much to Feed a Dog

Once a day is often enough to feed a grown dog, no matter how much it begs between meals. It is all right to let a growing puppy eat all it wants. But an adult house dog on this kind of schedule soon becomes overweight. It is much simpler to keep a dog's weight down than it is to educe it. If a dog seems famished when it has finished its meal, give it a little more. If it doesn't eat it all, it has been given too much. If it is gaining weight, or losing, the owner should provide more or less food appropriately to keep the dog in proper condition.

Feeding Tips for Puppies

The following tips would help you to maintain the health and encourage growth of your puppy effectively.

• For the first 8 weeks of their birth puppies should not be separated from their mother. If they are taken away from their mother they become ill. The mother’s milk provide them nutrition and ability to develop antibodies that would help the puppy grow strong, healthy and disease free. When the puppy would be three to four weeks old you may try out with some solid food as well. Serve your puppy with a watery solid food having one third of water to promote proper digestion. This will help the puppy well with the food when it would get separated from its mother.

Keeping a Gold Fish

Gold fish are bred in the orient. They provide almost all the colors wanted by the fish lovers today. Gold fish are found in Asia and Europe. They are a temperate fish which can be seen in cool streams, ponds and lakes etc. Gold fish is an easy to keep fish provided you take good care of the fish. Here are a few guidelines which will be helpful in making the environment for your fish to be good to live in –

1. It is necessary to keep your gold fish in clean and cool water. Never increase the temperature above 73° and it should be kept between 65° to 67°. Increasing the temperature beyond 73° will be harmful for the gold fish as it can damage their heart and immune system making them more vulnerable for diseases. It can even lead to untreatable infections in future.


2. The tank size for your goldfish should be at least 10 gallons. This is necessary as goldfish need at least 8 gallons to live healthily. A larger tank would be easier to clean. You should keep the water clean for goldfish for that you will require a filter. Always take care that the filter you choose should not make much current as this will be an obstruction for your fish to swim freely.

Heating Fish Tanks

The usual way of heating aquarium water is with one or more heater/thermostats. These are glass tubes with an electric element and thermostat inside them. On the top there is a small adjuster that usually turns by hand and controls the thermostat inside. When you buy ah eater/thermostat they are usually set at 24°C(75°F), which is about the ideal all-round temperature. In fully submersible models the whole of the heater/thermostat goes in the tank and the wire comes out through the lid to he attached to an electricity supply. Heater/thermostats are available in various wattages, so you need to choose the right size for your aquarium. As a basic guide, allow 10 watts of heating for every4.5 liters(1 gallon) of water in the aquarium. Of course, during the summer months or if the tank is in a particularly warm spot you may not need as much heating capacity. You can install a higher wattage heater/thermostat to be on the safe side. These usually cost very little more to buy and indeed no more to run as they will burn more electricity while on but will be working for a shorter period. The only disadvantage of using a larger wattage heater/thermostat is that they are usually slightly larger than the next size down.

There are heater/thermostats available that have the adjuster built into the external lead, enabling you to adjust the temperature without getting your hands wet. Some models are fitted with microchips, and these types are highly accurate and hold the temperature steady within fine tolerances. There are heater elements that go underneath the gravel,but these are relatively expensive and have to he wired to a thermostat on the outside of the tank; nevertheless, they do mean that you have no problems trying to hide heater/thermostats behind rocks or plants. Under no circumstances should you ever put an ordinary glass tube heater/thermostat under the gravel as it will burn out, with disastrous effects. And no matter what type of heater/thermostat you use, always disconnect the electricity before adjusting the temperature control.

Breeding Trap

When breeding live bearers such as guppies you can avoid the young being eaten by floating a breeding trap in the main aquarium. This is usually a net frame or a clear miniature plastic aquarium about 10- 13cm (4-sin) square with a small mesh grid in the bottom. When the female is nearly ready to drop her young, place her in the trap above the grid. As she releases the young, they fall through the grid and out of harm's may as she does not tend the young, the female can be returned to the main aquarium after a little rest.

Raise the fry in the breeding trap on finely crushed flake until they are big enough not to beaten or, better still, place them in another aquarium to grow to a safe size before releasing them into the community tank. Females can store sperm from a male and use it to fertilize up to five or six future batches of eggs, so it is quite possible to have a female and no male and still have several broods of young guppies. Male guppies are very attentive towards females, so buy two or three females for every male or else the female may become worn out.

Young females may produce as fe was three or four fry, but older guppies may - and often do - drop more than100 fry at a go. Be sure to separate males from females as soon as possible to avoid a guppy plague.

Is your dog keeping you awake at night?

If you're a dog owner, chances are you've been there or are going through it: Seemingly endless, sleepless nights because your pup refuses to settle at night. It not only barks you right into insomnia, but some very grouchy mornings, too.

What can you do if your pet keeps you up all night? And why do dogs behave this way anyway?

Missing you

Michael's dog, Willy, was a barker. In fact, he would bark and whine all night long. "It got to the point that everyone in the house was sleep deprived -- the kids, the wife," Michael said. "We’d only had him for two years, when we moved to an actual house. Once we moved in, we decided to put him in the laundry room at night. It wasn't an awful place; it was comfy and even had a bed. But he kept barking from bedtime until morning."

Feeding Dog

Most people get their first dog as a puppy. It should be properly weaned by the time you take it home, and the simplest way of feeding a new puppy is to give it four feeds a day, the first and the last consisting of baby cereal mashed up in warm milk. The other two feeds, at lunchtime and teatime, ought to be a mixture of canned puppy food mixed with rusk. If for some reason you cannot get canned puppy food, you can use canned dog food provided you sprinkle bone meal onto it. Do not, feed the little dogs on meat alone as it is low in calcium.At about twelve weeks you should find that the puppy no longer requires four meals and at this time one of the cereal and milk meals can be dropped. At six months you can omit the other, and three months after that you must decide whether you would prefer your dog to have one meal a day, or two.



Do not get into the habit of letting the dog eat between official mealtimes or of feeding it tidbits, such as sweets or biscuits. Nor should you feed scraps of food from the table when you are eating and never, ever let it lick up leftovers from the plates. There is nothing wrong with feeding any lean bits of left-over meat to the dog in his dish at his next meal. If the puppy has left his meal,remove it after half an hour. Keep to a regular feeding routine and always leave the food dish in the same place. It does not matter what sort of dish you use except that if your dog has long, dangly ears the dish should be a narrow one so that his face can fit into it while his ears hang outside, because if he gets food all over them dermatitis can result. You have several choices when you come to feeding an adult dog but simply feeding it on meat is just not an adequate diet.

Feeding Marine Fish

Apart from propagating their line, marine fish spend their lives either finding food or ensuring that they are not part of another fish's meal. Usually there is no shortage of either choice or quantity of food available, because the coral reefs represent an almost perfect model of a well-balanced food chain.

Fish naturally divide into various types of feeders - damselfishes,clown fishes and gobies, for example, are filter feeders, almost automatically passing minute particles of food into their stomachs.angs are grazers; butterfly fishes are pickers; angelfishes both graze handpick; triggers, lion fishes and groupers are predators; and wrasses and goat fishes are scavengers. Some fish are vegetarian - tangs in particular -whereas some are carnivorous, such as lion fishes; most are omnivorous,taking a range of foods.

Fulfilling all the marine fishes' natural dietary demands in the home aquarium is not always easy, especially bearing in mind the need to carefully monitor feeding levels and to ensure that no excess food is ever introduced into the system. Not only is it vital never to leave uneaten food in the water because of pollution, but it is also important not to allow the fish to over-indulge themselves. Ensuring that shyer fish get their fair share of food to meet their dietary requirements, while there are more aggressive fish eating everything available, is quite a skill, and one that every successful marine fish keeper needs to develop.Some fish are nocturnal in their natural habitats, for example, and these may not he so willing to venture out into the brightly lit open areas of the aquarium to take their share of the food available.

Cat Nursing Problems

There are some serious problems during nursing that require immediate cooperation between you and your doctor. Since pregnancy and milk production may demand more calcium than the mother can spare, clamps (low blood calcium)max be seen during nursing. The signs are nervousness, crying, stiffness, staggeration. fever (as high as 107°F), muscle spasms, and convulsions. Eclampsia usually develops within the first three weeks of the nursing period and is a life threatening medical emergency. Fortunately, it is rare in cats. See the veterinarian immediately.If the rectal temperature is 106°F or over, place ice packs between the cat's thighs to lower the fever during the ride to the doctor's office.

Intravenous calcium solutions will usually stop the signs. As the solution is injected, the convulsions cease, the muscles stop twitching, and the cat stops panting. The mother cat will not have to be hospitalized unless it does not respond to treatment (this is rare). Upon returning home. nursing should be stopped or at least restricted. If the kittens are older than three weeks, start them on solid food. Younger kittens will have to be hand fed to prevent a recurrence of the disease.Your doctor may also prescribe a calcium supplement for the next few weeks.

A malfunction in the organ that controls calcium metabolism (the parathyroid gland) is thought to cause eclampsia. To prevent it, consult your doctor before you breed your cat. He or she will advise you on the proper calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D supplements. Eclampsia can occur again in a female who has had it once and is re bred. To prevent its recurrence, have your cat spayed.

A bacterial infection of the uterus called acute metritis is another emergency .A physical exam, blood tests, and possibly X-rays may be necessary for diagnosis.If retained fetuses are seen on the X-rays, an immediate various is the best treatment. If you want to breed again, a less acceptable and risky choice is to do culture and sensitivity tests and use the specific antibiotic to treat the infection .Flushing the vagina with general antibiotics may also be tried. An injection boomtown within twenty-four hours after delivery may prevent uterine infections.Good hygiene and appropriate care are also important.

Cat Lovers Gifts

Choosing appropriate gift is an art. Choosing the right gift becomes an easy task if you know the likes and dislikes of that person. If someone is fond of cats then you can easily chose from the cat lover’s gifts category. Once you know that your friend, relative, family, or boss is a cat lover, just explore the vast world of cat related items available in market and make him feel special by gifting a suitable thing.

With increase in the number of cat lovers companies are designing more and more merchandise based on cat’s theme. These products are either useful for the cats or simply used by the owners to show their love for their pets. Cat lover’s gift category is a huge category where thousands of interesting items exist, while more and more are being added every day.

Cat related gift items are available for all age groups and in all price range. There are a number of shops available for cat merchandise. If you can’t find a suitable shop near by, you can find numerous gift ideas on the internet and buy it online.

Cat Decorative Items

Cat lover’s gifts are available in the category of home decorative items. Cat shaped vase, jugs and glasses in the shape of cats, cat doormats, cat pictures, cat table lamps, cat bed sheets, cat towel, and so on. These decorative items are either in the shape of cats, or have cat’s picture embossed on it. Cat cut outs posters, and cute cat pictures are also available for kid’s room.

Pottery items, sculptured cats, and figurines are also available. Cat Jewelry

This is for both cat lover males and cat lover females. In the category of jewelry, cat pins, cat earrings, cat pendants, cat necklaces, cat bracelets, cat locket, cat brooches, all are available. The cat jewelry is available in gold as well as imitation, so it is affordable for all. Specifically for men cat tie pins, cat cufflinks, cat watches are also available. For children, cat lockets and cat bracelets are excellent gift ideas.
If you want to give something for the cat itself then cat necklaces, pet charms, leads and harness, pet tags, etc are also available.

Cat Illness Symptoms

Cats are calm pets by nature. The owner has to be really close to the cat to know that it is sick. To analyze your cat’s illness symptoms you must observe the pet very closely and should try to make out any change in its behavior, eating pattern, sleep pattern, and general mood.

Like other species on this earth cats fall sick too, but they are gentle and quite bearable in nature. A dog might bark and bark till the owner knows that it is in trouble, but cat takes a peaceful path and makes itself sit silently in a corner. Thus the owner has to be really agile to know about cat illness symptoms.

To make out whether your cat is actually sick or not and whether it needs medical attention you should not go by only one symptom. For example, if your cat vomits once does not necessarily mean that it is suffering from something serious. However if it vomits a couple of times during the day and continues doing the same other day also, then you must take it to vet.

Here are some common cat illnesses symptoms and the possible causes associated with them:

Vomiting :Swallowing their hairball is a very common cause of vomiting among cats. Vomiting once in a while is okay for cats but if the cat vomits more than twice in a day, traces of blood is found in the vomit, worms come out in the vomit, then the cat must be taken to the vet. Then the cat might be suffering from feline kidney diseases or over fatty liver.

How to Feed a Bird

Dry bird seed normally provides a satisfactory diet, but many experienced fantiers maintain that a diet of soaked andsprouted seed proves more nutritious.Cheap seed should be avoided since itusually contains a great deal of dust andproves difficult to germinate. Birds withyoung must be provided with amplequantities of good quality soaked andsprouted seeds. The vitamin content ofsprouted seed is extremely high. Seedsshould be soaked in cold water for 24hours, then washed, drained and left tosprout in a warm place, until the shootsare about 6 mm ( 1/4 in) long. This can taketwo to four days, according to thetemperature.



The most universally popular seeds arethe four varieties of millet seed: white,panicum, Japanese and red millet. Theseare usually mixed together. Plain canaryseed is the next most frequently used withother seeds fed as required. Maw seed,rape, linseed and hemp seed (if available)and the black niger seed are useful,particularly during cold weather whenbody fat needs to he maintained. Hulledoats, groats and sunflower seed are usually fed to larger species. Parrotlike birdsneed adequate supplies of sunflowerseeds and many eat maize and peanutstoo.

Aquarium Plants

Once you have installed the solid decorations, leave the aquarium undisturbed for a few days with the under gravel filtration system running. This period will allow the useful aerobic bacteria to develop in the gravel and the water to become clear. Keep an eye on the temperature and see that it does not fluctuate by more than a degree or two. Check that the light and pump are working well and that bubbles are flowing out of the uplift tube and from the air stone. After this period, you can start to introduce aquatic plants.



Plants can form a very attractive part of an aquarium but they are not essential for the fishes' health. The main reasons for having plant sin the aquarium are that they will give the fish somewhere to hide and also supply the tank with oxygen. They will also compete for dissolved nutrients and hopefully get more than their fair share, thus leaving nonfood for unwelcome excess algae to live on. Reasons for not having plants in the tank are when the particular fishes you aim to keep replant-eaters or gravel-diggers, or when your lighting levels are insufficient to support plant life.

Dog Care

As puppies grow older the bedding in the nest box can be leveled bybringing it down from the sides. This keeps the puppies in. Much ofthe bedding material will have to be changed soon after whelping isover because of the large amount of amniotic fluid present which ac-companies the birth of each puppy.



The floor of the area where the puppies are is of great importance. Ifit is of concrete or rough wood, it should he covered with severalthicknesses of burlap or cloth before the bedding is put down. If therough surface is not covered, the pups will wear away their navels,infection will creep under the skin, and the puppies will die unlesstreated promptly. Indeed thousands of puppies die each year from in-fected navels.

Treatment for this consists of cleaning away the infected parts andinjecting an antiobiotic. An antiseptic powder or ointment should be applied and worked under the skin, which should then be covered witha gauze pad bound in place by adhesive tape. It is best to keep thepuppy under treatment isolated and carry it to the mother for nursingfive or six times a day. The puppy should be treated until the skin hasgrown across and healed. Another method is to dissect the infectedarea away and suture the skin together. Healing may require five daysOr more.

As soon as puppies begin to crawl about, a pen must be made forthem. They can use sand runs. Grass and concrete are the devil's owndevices for spreading worm infestation. The best plan for small kenneldogs one that has everything to recommend it and few drawbacks is to provide a wire-bottom pen. The wire for the bottom of the pen, one-inch square mesh, should be 9-or i-gauge, preferably welded. Lighter netting soon breaks, unless thepuppies are a light breed. Smallish bitches can be kept in this kind ofpen and allowed to whelp in the hutch.

Dog Digestion

Dog digestion starts at the mouth. The teeth useful for ripping an animal apart and cutting the tissue off arelonger and sharper than the equivalent teeth in our mouths. Our backteeth (molars) are flatter and more useful for grinding foods into pow-der. Dogs' habits of eating consist of tearing their food apart, cuttingoff pieces with the back teeth, and gulping them with only sufficientchewing to make them small enough to swallow.

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The next difference is in the saliva. Dogs, on the other hand, have very little of that starch digesting enzyme, ptyalin. It was this discovery years ago that caused peoplestudying dogs' eating habits to say that they couldn't digest starch.Probably these people never saw a human wash down a huge mouthfulof a doughnut with a gulp of coffee - and stopped to think that thattoo is digested.

Dog Bone

Puppies are stepped on, dropped from people's arms, fall down stairs,and are otherwise stressed, usually with no skeletal damage done, butbones can fracture and joints can be sprained. Injury is the number onecause of hone problems. Fortunately, growing puppies' bones heal rapidly and since their bones are not brittle as those of adult dogs they maybend and straighten rather than snap. The greenstick fracture often heals without human intervention.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="350" caption="Dog bone with cuts made during skinning."][/caption]

There is no doubt in our minds that the majority of bone problems in growing puppies other than those due to injury are caused by their owners feeding them improperly. This of course is because of an innocence or lack of knowledge, even indulgence, on the owners' part. Theyare not aware of the proper nutrition puppies require or whether or notthe commercially available foods have the necessary ingredients foradequate nutrition.

Decorate Bird Houses

If you are up to making your garden an object of your neighbors envy, hanging up of decorative bird houses would be a good idea. Whether you are a bird watcher or have the passion of conserving the exotic species, bird houses would be quite useful for you. Keeping bird houses at your home would also help you to get rid of many insects, pests and such. Birds are good insect eaters and your home will be safe from the infestation of pests and lizards to a great extent.



Decorative bird houses are built in with great artistry. There are many shopping stores that would serve you with customized houses as well. While buying the houses all you should make sure is that they must have proper functional value. A decorative house would be of no use until it is able to attract birds to build their nests. Birds are very selective while making or selecting their nest. The primary factor is that the house must be well secured from the attack of predators. In order to buy a safe house for your bird you are recommended to do a little bit of research work on the types of predators that the birds mainly have to encounter and how a well constructed house can keep the birds safe.

Wooden Bird Feeder

Wooden bird feeders are perhaps the easiest way to attract birds. Wooden feeders blend well with the natural surrounding of a garden. Wooden feeders are quite popular among bird watchers as they are able to attract a wide variety of bird species. The wooden feeders are available in various shapes and sizes. The wooden bird feeders are generally made of cedar wood or red wood. Online shopping portals are a good source of wood bird feeders. These portals generally have a huge collection of feeders of attractive designs. They are also efficient enough to provide with custom made feeders for birds.

The following are some samples of wooden bird feeders.

Cottage Feeder – This type of feeder has two feeding platforms. The roof acts like a shade for the birds and protects them from heavy rain or hot sun. The metal perforation aids drainage. You may add railings to the feeder to make it appropriate for the ground feeders or the hoppers as well. You can either hang or fix to a post. Both the wooden or metal post is useful. The dimensions may consist of 10-1/2"h x 18"w x 13-3/4"d.

Hopper Feeder – As the name suggests this feeder is for birds who generally hop while feeding. This is specially designed to attract a wide variety of hopper birds like the grosbeaks, wood peckers, juncos, cardinals, chickadees, blue jays, morning doves and such. It has easy refilling provisions by simply moving the top swings up. In the front there are rail pivots that can be easily removed for cleaning. It can be mounted on a pole, post or deck. The dimensions are 11"h x 20"w x 13"d.

Hanging Screen Feeder – It is a platform based feeder. The base is made up of metal and has a good drainage system. Due to the drainage facilities the seeds will not stay wet and get stale. This wooden square piece is hung to a post or shepherds hook or hanging jacket. To hang it a sturdy nylon string is used. The screen feeder is easy to clean and can attract a wide variety of birds.

Mini Window Screen Feeder – This is generally filled in with sunflower seeds and is designed to attract birds that prefer to feed on this type of seed. This feeder is usually attached to windows. If kept in casement windows, the access to the feeder for birds by the predators would be quite tough. This would protect the birds while feeding on the seeds.

Mirrored Window Sill Feeder – This feeder has mirrored acrylic panels through which the birds are not able to see on the other side of the wall even though, you can have a close look at them while they are feeding on the seeds. The wood that is used for its construction is cedar. Its base has also a good drainage system.

There are various other attractive wood bird feeders available in shopping portals. Make sure that it is not made up of lumber woods. Lumber woods may sometimes turn out to be quite poisonous for the birds as they emit harmful gases when they become wet.

Aquarium Live Rock

Most aquariums have rocks in them. Do take care, however, because not all rocks are suitable. The wisest option is to buy your rocks frogman aquarium shop, but this can be expensive if you need a fair amount to create the right sort of underwater scene. Finding your own rock for the aquarium is more fun, plus the fact that it's nice to get something for nothing. As a general guide, if you come across rocks that have thin lines or veins of metal in them, leave them alone. Test any other rocks that you collect with a few drops of vinegar. If the vinegar fizzes vigorously then these rocks contain calcium compounds that will make the water harder and more alkaline and are suitable only for certain fishes. Do not worry too much if a few lines of little bubbles come up,as most rocks have some small calcium deposits. Soak rocks that have passed the acid test for a week in a bucket of water to remove the acid and leach out any other impurities. In fact, it is a good idea to thoroughly rinse rocks that you buy from your aquarium dealer.




Before placing rocks in the aquarium, slope the gravel from front to the back so that it is twice as deep at the hack than at the front. This not only allows any debris to accumulate at the front, where it is easy to remove, but also provides a firmer foundation for embedding rocks.

Bird Feeders and Houses

Bird feeders and houses are a great source of entertainment for nature and bird lovers. Since the ancient times, birds have always enchanted the human mind. The sheer ability to fly has impregnated fantasies in humans in the form of a messenger of distant lands, a creature of the other world, an ethereal being. There would be very few individuals who would not get enchanted with the beautiful song of a nightingale or the brilliant plumage of the peacock. Inquisition gets aroused on how they build nests, brood and learn to fly. From scientists to general bird enthusiasts the study on the living habits of birds has always been engaging.

There are variety of feeders and houses designed according to the food and living habits of a specific kind of bird. Not all birds would prefer to eat sunflower seeds neither honey nor suet. You have to do a little bit of research on the type of food that is generally eaten by the bird of your choice.

Garden Bird Feeder

If you are willing to see your garden full of colorful birds, you are recommended to hang a good garden bird feeder. The easiest way to attract birds is by offering them with food and water. In fact, man made gardens have now turned into a major source of food for many garden birds. The natural habitat of the birds that consisted of open woodlands and farm lands are now damaged due to changes brought about in agricultural practices. The garden bird feeder in gardens serves birds with good food that has become scare in other places. Garden bird feeders can be easily bought from aviary stores and bird accessories.

Types of Garden Bird Feeder:

Peanut Feeders – They are generally made up of coarse plastic or wire mesh. The holes of the mesh are big enough to allow birds to feed on the seeds by pecking them.

How to Decorate Your Aquarium

Fishes’ surroundings are important to their safety in nature, and to their psychological well-being in captivity. This, and not what you think looks ‘nice’, must be your prime consideration. In the unlikely event that your fish ask you to match the room decor to theirs, then, and only then, will you be justified in asking them to accept blue gravel to match the curtains! The fish are an integral component of your pleasing underwater mini-world, and if they are unwell, unhappy, or dead, then decor that matches yours will be small consolation.

Unless you are reasonably confident in your geological and/or botanical knowledge, you should avoid collecting your own decor, and buy from an aquarium dealer, where you may have some legal redress if it proves unsuitable. Rocks are expensive, however, and you may find it beneficial to learn a little geology.



The aquarium decor is divided into three parts: substrate, background and internal decor’ such as rockwork and plants. Many people don’t regard the substrate as important, and forget about the background entirely – serious errors indeed.

How to Buy a Bird

Before purchasing birds, it is a good idea to visit some bird gardens, zoos and private aviaries to look at their healthy specimens. Compare the different types and observe their behaviourclosely.

The choice of dealer is most important when buying birds. Check up on as many different sources as possible, as pet stores vary tremendously in the quality and selection of birds on offer. Do try to takes much time as possible over this. It is often better to wait a little longer for the birds of your choice, rather than to buy inferior stock. It may also be possible too brain birds from experienced fanciers who wish to sell their surplus stock. There are some basic points to search for when trying to select healthy birds:

1. Make sure the bird is not sitting huddled up with feathers puffed out.

2. Ensure that the eyes are clear and open, showing no signs of a watery discharge.

3. Check the vent to make sure it is clean and unsoiled. It should not appear the damp.

4. Make sure that the legs and feet are undamaged and toe nails are intact.

5. Examine the nostrils to see that they’re clear and free from discharge.

6. Feel the breast bone of larger birds to see that there is a fair amount of flesh on the breast.

Do not worry unduly about the appearance of the plumage. Molting bird soften look quite scruffy, as do those that are feather plucked or have had wings clipped by dealers or exporters. Feathers soon grow again and a bath often makes bird look much better. The only point to remember when purchasing a moult-in bird is that its general health may be little under par and extra nourishment may be required

When trying to choose a true pair of birds of a species where no sexual differences are visible or described, it is avis-able to purchase several birds and allow them to pair up. This usually results in at least one true pair and the surplus may then be sold or exchanged.

Dog Boarding Kennel

Dog owners sooner or later face the question, "What shall I do with my pet when I have to leave it?" There arc a number of other questions closely related to this one. "If the dog becomes sick, shall I keep it at home or leave it in a veterinary hospital? Should I exhibit my dog in as how? Should I take my dog to a training class? Is it safe to allow my pet free access to neighborhood dog?"



Actually all of these general questions are part of a still larger one,"To what extent should I isolate my dog?"

In order to answer these questions intelligently, there are certain basic facts you should know. Every proprietor of a veterinary hospital oral boarding kennel, every dog warden and humane society officer, knows these facts. If every pet owner knew them as well, sickness among pets might he greatly reduced.

Let's assume that every dog owner and every dog handler is honest,and that every person owning an dog he or she knows is sick will isolate it. Let's assume, too, that no dog warden knowingly puts a sick dog in the pound. And last, but not least, let's assume that no veterinary hospital exists without isolation wards where dogs with each kind of disease are separately segregated. It is obvious that none of these assumptions can be completely true. Pet owners are no more and no less ethical than other groups of people. Certainly not all of the mare sufficiently concerned about the health of other people's pets to isolate their own when they know it to be sick.

Dog Body

The body of every dog grows from a single cell. What is a cell? It is a unit of life smaller than the eye can see. The whole body of some tiny dog is a single cell: the amoeba and paramecium, for example.ther dog consist of colonies of cells. All the visible animate creatures we see are immense colonies of cells, and each cell has some special function. Every one of these cells is composed of a covering,within which is some protoplasm, a substance not unlike egg white, panda nucleus, which carries the genetic material.



The first cell, which results from the uniting of a male cell (sperm)and a female cell (ovum) and is thus the beginning of an dog, is complete in every detail. It is a favorite academic paradox to say that a cell multiplies by dividing, and it is, of course, quite true. If one cell divides into two cells, it has divided, but because it is two, it has multiplied. The two become four; the four, eight. As they go on dividing and thus increasing, different cells become specialized at certain stages. Some may become skin, some liver, some heart, some guerillas, some tonsils, and so forth. There are cells that may never renew themselves: brain cells, for example. Then there are other very special-i zed cells, like those in the hair and nails, that are constantly renewed.They all live together in a happy community or colony, doing their work unless hindered by improper nourishment or crowding (footraces), or disease. And that's what our dogs are big colonies of cells.

Dog Birth

As the puppies start to pass through the birth canal, there is an even greater effort of expulsion, which is probably due to a reflex occasioned by pressure on the upper part of the vulva. This is true labor and is a useful fact to know in helping a bitch to whelp. If you want to make her strain, insert a clean-gloved finger in the vulva and pull upward and backward. She wig nearly always strain and assist you. The average whelping time for dogs is five hours. Small dogs, such as Cocker Spaniels, usually finish whelping in three hours, but large dogs, such as Great Danes and St. Bernard’s, often take seven or eight hours. Twelve hours is the limit of normal time for a large dog, although bitches have been known to take thirty-six hours with no particularly abnormal aspects to the whelping.



The contractions of the uterus push the young dog out through the vagina. The puppy appears in one of several ways. It may still be in the amniotic sac. If so, the sac must be broken or the newborn will suffocate. If the mother does not do this, you should do it for her. The puppy may still be in its sac, but the sac may have ruptured. Or the young may be born with the sac remaining inside the mother. In this case, the umbilical cord is still connecting it to the sac. The mother may chew this cord to break it, and the sac and placenta will he discharged later. But you can wrap a cloth or tissue about the cord and pull gently until the sac comes out with the placenta. If a placenta is not discharged, it may or may not become a problem.

Anemone fish

Anemone fishes are also known as clown fish and are the members of the Pomacentridae family and are subfamily of Amphiprioninae or damselfishes. They are a unique type of fishes that live in between the tentacles of sea anemones. They are very much admired by the people because of its striking looks. These types of fishes are fun to watch.



They are one of the colorful, tough, lively, small, calm, and economical marine fishes. Anemone fish come in different colors such as yellow, red or black; but the orange anemone fish are the most popular. Wild Anemone fish face many threats; one such threat is not having a place to live. They require coral reefs for their survival. Coral reefs play a very significant role in the lives of various animals and plants. They are the habitats to million of plants and animals.

Aquarium Tips

Taking care of aquarium and fishes is very important before you purchase them. Some people are interested only in purchasing aquarium and keeping fishes in it. They don't know that aquarium is not only about decorating your home it is all about keeping your fishes healthy too. Be sure before planning to purchase an aquarium you should have a good knowledge of aquarium tips in order to give a healthy & clean environment to your fishes.

Purchasing New Tank

A new aquarium should be tested and guaranteed before you purchase it, but it is wise to test it outdoors for your peace of mind .Simply fill it with water and check it carefully for leaks. Don't purchase the fishes on the same day because the tank needs to be treated with chemicals first in order to make it free from infection.

If you buy a secondhand tank and discover it has a leak, do not panic just remember some aquarium tips in your mind. You can use aquarium silicone sealant to repair it. Find the spot that is leaking, clean and dry it thoroughly and apply a bead of sealant. This smells of vinegar, so carry out the job in a well-ventilated room. After the repair has set for 48 hours, your leaky tank will be good as new.

Cat Dandruff

Human beings are not the only living beings facing the problem of dandruff. Dandruff and flaky skin is a common problem faced by other species too. Those who have cats at home must have confronted the problem of cat dandruff.

If the cat’s skin sheds dry white flakes or if you spot white flaky on the body of your cat, it means the cat has dandruff. Cat dandruff problem hampers the physical appearance of the animal and also gives rise to hygienic issues.

Cat dandruff should not be confused with dander. Dander is the natural process of shedding of dead skin. However, dandruff is excessive dryness of skin caused due to lack in moisture and causes itching.

Here are some common causes for dandruff in cats:

Dryness in the air: If the atmosphere where you stay is very dry and the skin feels tight and devoid of moisture, then the cat skin is also likely to develop the same dryness. Excessive dryness in the air increases the growth of dandruffs.

Over weight: It is a general observation that overweight and fat cats are more likely to develop dandruffs on their rum and tail. Due to excessive weight cats fail to brush these areas and thus causing dandruff.

Sunburn: Cats who stay outdoors under the sun for long hours develop dryness of skin. The sun burnt skin develops into dead cells which lead to dandruff.

Cat Abscess

An abscess is a walled-off collection of pus caused by a bacterial infection. Pus is a collection of live and dead bacteria, dead tissue, white blood cells, and other cells called on to defend your pet's body. Any damage to the skin, especially lacerations or puncture wounds, can admit bacteria into the underlying tissue. Cats may form abscesses if their immune system is "sick" (i.e., feline leukemia virus or my infection). If the cat's body cannot fight the bacteria, tissue will be damaged and an abscess will form. An abscess is potentially dangerous: if prompt medical andior surgical attention is not provided, the infection can spread to the chest, brain, heart, kidneys, or liver via the bloodstream.

An abscess is characterized by a warm swelling that is painful to the touch. Your cat may also be lethargic and have a fever. A common occurrence is having a cat brought to the office with a lameness and lethargy that have become worse over a few days. Pressing on each area of the limb, hip, or shoulder may elicit pain. The owner thinks the cat's leg is broken but a swelling and a scab over a healed bite wound can be felt. The cat's rectal temperature can be 104°F to 105°F.

Cat Abscess Home Remedies

A cat that has an abscess should be seen by your doctor, because the potential for tissue damage or death from bacterial toxins is high unless proper wound cleaning and/or surgery and antibiotic treatment are done.

If it is impossible for you to see a veterinarian, you will have to treat the abscess at home. Wear disposable gloves for this task. If the abscess is open and draining, probe and clean the wound with a cotton-tipped applicator. Remove any hair, wood slivers, or other matter that may be in the wound. Pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide (3 percent) into the wound, three times daily, or use an eyedropper or turkey baster. Press on the swelling to help the hydrogen peroxide flush thewound.

If the abscess has not burst, apply hot towels to the area to help bring it to a head. When you can feel a soft spot in the swelling, use a clean razor blade to nick the swelling.The pus should drain out easily. Probe and flush the wound as just explained. Try to get your cat on antibiotics as soon as possible.

Bacteria in a Dog Mouth

Bacteria are single-celled organisms; those that cause disease are called pathogenic. There are many forms causing disease, and all are winsome way transmissible from one dog to another.



Since bacteria are too small to be seen without magnification, they must be studied through the microscope. There they appear as different from each other as they vary from one dog to another. Some are spirals, some are little balls, some have whip like attachments, and some look like baseball bats.

Coca bacteria are round. Streptococci are round bacteria that grow in strings. They produce such diseases as pneumonia and abscesses. Staphylococci are round forms that growing groups like bunches of grapes. They are notorious pus producers and abscess formers.

Bacilli are rod-shaped bacteria, which sometimes complicate other diseases. These rod-shaped forms, of which there are many, cause bubonic plague, tularemia, and some poultry diseases. Salmonella organ-isms cause food poisoning in man and other diseases in dog. Shigelloses cause dysentery in puppies; Clostridia cause lockjaw, food poisoning (botulism), and gas gangrene; Mycobacterium cause tuberculosis.

Spirochetes are corkscrew-shaped organisms that cause diseases such as trench mouth and explosions.

Since these are all comparatively large forms, too large to enter the cells of the body, bacteria float or propel themselves about in body fluids or remain stationary. Some invade the blood; some are specific for certain tissue, such as pneumonic types for lungs; others are found confined to the stomach and intestines.

Information on Bacteria in a Dog Mouth

• Many compare the level of cleanliness of a dog’s mouth to that of a human being. Staying so close to human beings often brings up the comparison in the forefront. But if we think prudently there very comparison of the mouths of two very different species, dogs and humans is quite abrupt. Colin Harvey, professors of surgery and dentistry in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine and an executive secretary at the American Veterinary Dental College comments to this comparison as ‘like comparing apples and oranges’. Though a vast number of bacteria of the human mouth overlap those residing in the dog’s mouth but there are many that can only stay in dog’s mouth or only in the mouth of a human being.


• Porphyromonas belonging to the family of rod shaped bacteria is responsible for causing the decaying of the gums and loosening of affected teeth in both humans and animals. A deep study of the bacteria has revealed that there are actually two branches of the Porphyromonas, P. gingivalis occurring in the mouth of humans and P. gulae in the oral cavity of dogs. Both the forms of bacteria reside in the periodontal tissues of the mouth.

According to World Health Organization about 90 percent of young school children get affected by dental decay where as only 5 % of the dogs suffer from it. Even the S. mutans bacterium thrives well in acidic mouth of a human being rather than in the alkaline mouth of a dog. S. mutans eats up a huge sugar molecule by chopping it into small sizes result the production of acid as the byproduct of the process of breaking down of the sugar molecule

Dog Bronchitis

Dog bronchitis, is the inflammation of the bronchial tubes. The general symptom is coughing. This may be dry cough, a phlegm cough, or a mild, annoying cough such as humans often have during the resolution stage of Cory, or cold. In some cases the coughing may be no paroxysmal that it causes vomiting, and it is not unusual for a constant irritating cough to cause bleeding from the lining of the windpipe.

When inflammation is intense, shortness of breath is another symptom; the air spaces may become so constricted that the normal flow of air is retarded. Moreover, a considerable amount of mucus is discharged and this further interferes with normal breathing. Coughing is partly an attempt to rid the system of this phlegm.

The inflammation is symptomatic of disease, since bronchitis are seldom disease entities in themselves. Treatment of the cough in such cases usually involves elimination of the underlying is-ease of which this inflammation is a part. Consequently, the first step must be an exact determination of the cause of the inflammation, as this will in turn determine the most effective treatment. There are several viruses that inflame these tissues; certain biologics may be helpful in combating bacteria which enter the tissue weakened by a virus infection.

If the inflammation is due to inhaling irritating smoke, gas, or dust, it may be advisable to prevent coughing to allow healing. Often there is the problem of deciding whether the cough produces the irritation or vice versa. If the cough is productive, that is, if it raises phlegm, it would seem inadvisable to administer drugs that help stop the cough-in. But if a nagging cough merely irritates the membranes without serving a useful purpose, a drug like codeine may be used for relief. Dog's coughing sometimes troubles the owner more than the dog, an din these cases stopping the cough is almost essential. A mixture of drugs, sold in every drugstore, is frequently prescribed by veterinarians.Some coughs are cured by the simple expedient of using sedatives to give the involved tissues as much rest as possible.

Disease Transmission in Dog

Before dog can contract a disease, they must in some manner be exposed to the infecting organism. Exposure can come about in many ways.

Bacterial diseases may be contracted by a dog eating infected food, by inhaling the bacteria, or by bacteria entering cuts or puncture wounds. If a dog is bitten by another dog, the wounds may fester by the multiplication of bacteria inserted by the tooth. Bacteria may be drawn into the system or they may be present in air passages, waiting for a virus or general loss of resistance to weaken tissue and set up conditions favorable to their growth.'

Some virus diseases can be passed from one dog to another by inhaling one brief sniff of a sick dog's breath, or even by inhaling airing a room in which a sick dog has sneezed and left minute droplets floating about carrying the virus. Other virus diseases can be transmitted by bites, as is what happens in rabies.

Fungus diseases are spread in several ways: by contact, by wind, by water. Suppose your Collie develops a concentric bare spot on its nose. How did it get there? The dog may have pushed its nose against a spot on your infected cat, or it may have rested in a couch where the cat had been lying previously, or a breeze may have blown spores on it. Some-how they settled on the nose and grew. Some of the worst skin diseases dog can get are contracted by its lying on a lawn or rubbing against another dog, or from dust blown on it that contains spores that find away into the skin through fleabites.

The following are some diseases that get transmitted in dogs

Disease Transmission in Dog Information

• Due to disease transmission dogs may suffer from allergic skin and respiratory disorders.


• Dogs suffer from the disease Brucellosis is the disease caused in dogs due to the bacteria named Brucella canis. The bacteria generally spreads from one dog to another through sexual contact and from and birthing process.


• Diarrhea is caused due to various bacteria named Campylobacter and Salmonella. Protozoans like the Giardia may involve intestinal infections in dogs. Failure of the entire organ system occurs at the advanced stage of the disease.


• Dirofilariasis is the name of the disease which is caused by the heart worm that causes serious blockage and occlusion in the pulmonary artery occurs.


• Hookworms get easily transmitted from one dog to another through the feces. An infected dog excretes out thousands of eggs of the hookworm through its stools. The eggs hatch to give out tiny larvae which get into the skin of another dog when it gets in contact.


• Rabies is another disease transmission in dogs. The virus of the disease is present in the saliva and it gets into the bite wound and directly flows through the main blood stream. The virus travels to the nerve, spinal chord and then finally to the brain.


• Scabies mites dug burrows and gorges on the surface of the skin. This may lead to itchy feeling and physical discomfort. The disease is passed through direct body contact.

Being a dog owner you are advised to take proper measures to keep yourself safe from the above mentioned diseases while attending your pet dog.

Rabies in Cats

When the disease attacks cats, they generally hide under the furniture or in some dark corner, and there they may die unobserved in a day or two. As a rule, however, the disease in cats implies danger for human beings.



The rabid cat becomes very bellicose; from the dark corner where it has hidden it will suddenly attack animals or persons, especially children, jumping up to the face and inflicting severe wounds with its teeth and claws. In the violence of this attack it frequently bites itself. The rabid cat nearly loses its voice, being able only to mew hoarsely. Later it loses its appetite, has difficulty in swallowing, becomes emaciated, and succumbs within several days with symptoms of paralysis.

Cuterebra in cats

Cats are often infected with the larvae of large flies known as cuterebra. Other animals infected with the same parasite are squirrels, rabbits, dogs and rodents. Cats can acquire cuterbra larva after probably they have investigated a rodent or rabbit den. After such an act the cat may come in contact with the cuterebra eggs or larvae.

Usually it is the female fly that performs the action. It deposits eggs at the vicinity of the cats. After the eggs are hatched, the larvae migrate through the nose mouth or skin of the cat. A cuterebra larva can grow up to one inch long.

Cuterebra larva is usually found on the head and neck of cats. Sometimes they travel to the brain as well causing fatal injuries to the brain. This leads to severe nervous abnormalities such as seizures.

In case of cats infected with cuterebra, two things are to be watched out for, Formation of lump or mass under the skin often found on the head or neck and lesion with an open area.

A physical examination can be carried out to detect the existence of larvae in cats.

Once affected with cuterebra, the cat needs to be treated. However removal of the cuterebra larva can be a tedious process and it can have serious side effects. So it always advisable that consult a veterinarian. A qualified veterinarian will be able to carry out the process properly. Make sure that the larvae is removed in one go and in one piece. If the larvae are not taken out at one go then it might lead to complications such as severe allergy in the cat’s body. Because of this, the breathing hole is typically enlarged and the larvae are removed with forceps. Antibiotics may also be used.

Home remedies for cuterebra is not a good option. Removal of the same at home can lead to serious infection. However even if it is carried out, make sure to keep the wound clean so that it gets healed in time.

Spread of cuterebra in cats can be prevented by limiting their access to dens of rodents and rabbits. Prferebly keep your cat indoors most of the time. If this is not possible then keep a regular check on your cat’s skin, so as to avoid cuterebra infection.

How to Care Pregnant Dog

Are you getting ready for the pitter-patter of little paws? As with humans, one can minimize complications with proper care in pregnancy. Having puppies may sound easy and it may seem like the dog does all the work, but that is not always how it turns out.

So our first assumption is that the litter is wanted (if not necessarily planned.) If the litter is not wanted, please consider that there is a terrible canine over-population problem with some shelters in our own area euthanizing over 100 dogs DAILY. If your litter is not wanted, please consider spaying the pregnant female or having a medical abortion.

Now on to caring for the pregnant dog:

The female dog is pregnant for an average of 63 days.

Plan accordingly.

Diet

The expectant mother will gradually require increasing amounts of food to nourish her developing litter. A food approved for growth (i.e., a puppy food) will certainly be necessary during the nursing period and pregnancy may be a good time to transition into this new diet.

About 3 weeks into the pregnancy, she may experience a little nausea and appetite loss similar to morning sickness. This should resolve within a week, so if an upset stomach or loss of appetite lasts longer than that or is accompanied by listlessness, something more serious is going on and the vet should be notified.

Calcium supplementation may be tempting but is not a good idea. As long as the expectant mother is on a quality diet, supplementation is unnecessary. Further, supplementation can suppress her natural calcium releasing hormones so that when she really needs extra calcium during nursing, she will not have the proper hormone balance to get it. This can create a very dangerous situation that could easily be avoided by not supplementing with calcium.

At around 30 days of pregnancy, bring the female dog to the vet for a wellness check up and to confirm the pregnancy with a simple blood test.

Exercise

Regular walking helps the expectant mother keep up her strength but intensive training, showing, or even obedience school is probably too stressful. Obesity is a dangerous problem for pregnant dogs and serious blood sugar regulation problems can put the litter at risk. Still, pregnancy is not the time for a weight loss program. Your veterinarian will help guide you regarding the optimal nutrition plan for your individual dog.

During the final 3 weeks of pregnancy, the mother dog should be completely isolated from other dogs at home (see below). This means no walks in public during this stage of pregnancy.








Vaccination

A female dog should not be vaccinated during pregnancy; there are sera in the vaccine that could be harmful to the developing fetus. Ideally, the female should be vaccinated just prior to breeding. She will be passing on her immunity to her pups in the first milk she produces (special milk called colostrum) so we want her antibody levels to be at their peak yet we want to avoid vaccination during pregnancy.

Parasite Control

If the expectant mother uses a heartworm preventive product normally, she may continue to do so during pregnancy. All heartworm products available are approved for use in pregnancy and lactation.

Flea control is important during pregnancy though is more important after the puppies are born. It is important to use a safe product during pregnancy. There are two specifically approved products for this use:

Roundworms and hookworms can both be transmitted from the pregnant mother dog to her unborn puppies. This is a nuisance as one usually ends up with both an infected mother and infected puppies, but fortunately there is a deworming protocol to control this infection. If you have concerns about internal parasites for the puppies, speak to your veterinarian about worm control. Daily medication will be needed but it is possible for worm-free puppies to be born.

Isolate the Mother to Prevent Herpes Infection

Canine Herpesvirus infection causes a minor cold in adult dogs but can cause abortion in pregnancy as well as death in newborn puppies. The best way to prevent infection is to isolate the mother dog completely during the 3 weeks prior to delivery and the 3 weeks after delivery. This means absolutely no contact with other dogs.

Just prior to isolation, it is a good idea for the expectant mother to have a radiograph of her belly to count puppies.

Knowing how many puppies to expect will tell you when she is finished delivering.

Labor and Complications of Delivery

There is always the possibility of a problem with delivery and you will need to be able to recognize labor when it is occurring, what is normal and what is a sign you need to see the veterinarian for assistance. See birthing puppies for information on care during labor and nursing.

Dog Bathing

Dogs and cats are the only pets ordinarily bathed, and they are bathed simply to remove dirt and odors. There is no best way to bath ea pet, and no way has yet been found to eliminate the need for elbow grease. For bathing a pet the human fingers are far more efficient than any mechanical device yet developed.

Because the coats of dogs are water-resistant, the help of a chemicals needed to wash a dog with ease. A liquid detergent used to hand wash dishes is our first choice and liquid soap with either a zoo percent (or a diluted 40 percent) coconut-oil base is excellent. To dilute 40percent soap, simply add an equal amount of water. Cake soap can bemused instead of liquid, but it requires considerably more work. By whatever method the soap or detergent and water are applied, the solution must be well worked into the coat and rubbed until the dirt has been loosened or dissolved. After the lathering, the suds must be thoroughly rinsed from the coat. This is best accomplished by work-in the fingers through the hair, just as one does in applying the soap solution. Usually one soaping and rinsing is enough, but if necessary, the process may be repeated.

There are soaps that contain vermin poisons. If one is used, no further medication is required. However, there are several very efficient dips and rinses available that are well worth using to finish off your pet's bath. Prepare the solution just before the bathing starts. After the pet has been washed and rinsed, pour the dip or special rinse all over the coat, allow it to saturate the coat for a few minutes, squeeze out the surplus with your hands, and dry the pet.

A loosening of hair generally follows any bath. After the pet is dry, considerable combing is generally necessary to free the coat of the loosened hair and give it a sheen and tone.

Bathing small dogs or puppies may be easily accomplished by using abasing and towels. The whole animal may be dipped in the basin, leaving only the head out. The soiled water can be allowed to run out and fresh water quickly drawn while the pet sits on a towel, waiting for the next immersion.

One of the questions about bathing most frequently asked is whether it is safe in winter. It is safe in winter provided the pet is well dried before being allowed outside in the cold air. For that reason many pet owners bathe their pets at night, knowing they are sure to he dry by morning.

Another common question concerns the age at which it is safe to bathe a young animal. There is no rule about age. Young puppies that have become soiled and foul-smelling must be bathed if they are to be kept in a house. There is never an incident of bath harm a pet, provided it was properly dried. The fact is that puppies of all breeds frequently suffer from parasites and diseases. When one gets sick shortly after being bathed, the bath is all too often assumed to be the cause. Most of the harm that supposedly results from bathing has actually been caused by preexisting condition.

There are several dry shampoos available that are quite effective cleaning agents. These should be used according to directions, which vary with the type. There arc also several harmless detergents on the market that remove dirt without lathering.

• Removal of Road Tar: Dogs often run in newly tarred roads and return with a ball of tar and sand around each foot. The safest removal method is to massage lard into the tar and wash with a detergent. Repeat this procedure until all the tar is washed away. Kerosene will dissolve the tar but it also irritates the skin. In cases where kerosene has to be used it is necessary to rinse each foot in several washings of kerosene and then quickly wash off the kerosene with strong soap and water each time - it is as necessary to wash out the kerosene as it is to remove the tar. The discoloration on the dog due to the tar is hard to eliminate completely but does no physical harm.


• Removal of Paint: Most of us are cognizant of the dangers of lead in oil-based paints. Since some of these oil-based paint pigments are poisonous they should be removed immediately. If the dog comes home with still wet oil-based paint on its coat, turpentine will remove it, if plenty is used without allowing too much to come in contact with the animal's skin. The turpentine must be removed by thorough washing with soap and water after each application.
  If the oil-based paint is dry, first try to dissolve it. And if your dog's skin is especially tender, use linseed oil to do this. When you have diluted the paint greatly, wash it and the oil out with soap and water. You may, however, have to cut the paint out with scissors as a last resort, even though this may make the dog look less attractive for awhile. Of course, water-based paints can be removed by washing with water.


• Animal Odors: The sources of animal odors, aside from excrement of course, are ear canker, lip-fold or other infections, anal gland secretions, sebum from thousands of body glands, and dog collars, which absorb sebum. All of these can be eliminated by cleaning the cars, by treating the infections, by expressing the anal glands, and by thorough bathing.


• Parasite Control: Bathing in itself will not eliminate parasites, as many people seem to think, but preparations of excellent efficiency for use with bathing are readily available. Some are used as a rinse or dip following the bath; others are liquid soaps or soap cakes with insect killers added. Some manufacturers claim that their products will pre-vent fleas and lice from re infesting dogs for several days to a week after use. Some claim their products will kill the eggs of lice (nits).

In eliminating lice, it is necessary to apply the killing agent every eleven days, as this breaks the generation and so eliminates the lice. If there is any doubt about the thoroughness of the treatment, apply the preparation once a week for three weeks.

The more effective way to control pests is to use a liquid dip, soap, or rinse to kill all the insect pests during the bath and then keep the dog well powdered with a nonpoisonous flea powder. Flea collars that were once effective are less so now, thanks to the emergence of resistant fleas.

Natural High Protein in Dog Food

A second general group of essentials for every diet is proteins. These complex chemicals always have the element nitrogen as a component.All proteins arc composed of amino acids, which contain the nitrogen hydroxide (NH2) group in varying combinations.

There are twenty-two amino acids, each of which has been studied both for its composition and its essentiality. Of these, ten are absolutely essential to life and as far as is known must be part of the diet of all pets. These are: Argentine, histamine, insolvencies, Lucien, lysine, phenyl, threnodies, cryptophytes, va line.

Cosine contain sulphur. The most satisfactory way to feed sulphur is not as the element, because as such it is not absorbed, but as one of these two amino acids from which ample sulphur is available. Wheat, meat, fish, milk, yeast, and egg are excellent sources of both cosine and mentioning.

The proteins found in various foods have unequal properties. Milk proteins possess all of the essential amino acids, and all are digestible.But corn, with its protein called zen, is not complete and is less val u-able to feed to pets. Here, taking milk as a standard, are the relative values of the proteins found in some common dog foods:

Most proteins contain more than one amino acid. Some protein shave one complete amino acid and others incomplete ones. Proteins,with different assortments of amino acids, can be mixed to pro-since complete rations of amino acids. Cornmeal and horsemeat, milk and cereals, alfalfa with wheat or oat flour all are compatible mix-tues. Even meat protein can be supplemented to advantage. It is the mixtures of proteins that produce the almost limitless variety in diets,varying flavors, aromas, and appearances.

Protein Requirements. If you could feed just the minimum of compete proteins, the average adult dog of any breed could probably get along on a diet that included 4 to 6 percent of available protein, and the growing dog on 15 percent. Nearly all pet foods and rations contain over 20 percent of protein mixtures, some complete, some incomplete, some supplementing others so the results are excellent. Protein is used primarily in building the body. Some is burned as energy, the nitrogen passing out in the urine, but protein foods, such as meat, are not primarily energy foods. Hunters mistakenly think they most feed their dogs great quantities of meat while the dogs are hunting but all species get their energy best from fats and carbohydrates.

Too many pet owners feel that since they prefer to have their veterinarian deal with all serious pct problems, there is no necessity for them to be able to handle difficult or unpleasant situations themselves. People who feel this way should remember, however, that emergencies have a way of happening at inconvenient moments. Even in metropolitan areas there often are times when a veterinarian is not immediately available, and in most regions of the country it may well take several hours to reach a veterinarian. As long as that is true, the owner who doesn't take the trouble to find out what he or she can do to help a pectin an emergency is risking the dog's life foolishly.

Any owner can be and should be prepared to administer first aid to an injured pet. He or she should know how to restrain an dog that is frightened or in pain so that it will not harm itself or others. An owner should know how to stop the flow of blood from a wound, how to relieve the pain as much as possible, how to protect the pet until the veterinarian is available. He or she should know what not to do. The skills and techniques are not difficult to learn or to apply. They are available to everyone the cheapest and best insurance a person can get against the loss of a pet.

Cat Neuter

If you do not want to breed your cat, please have it neutered. for its own health and as a contribution to reducing the pet population. It is not true that neutering causes obesity and laziness; overeating and getting too little exercise are to blame.



The best time for the female's ovario hysterectomy is before the first heat (but not before five or six months of age). The estrogens secreted during the heat period may prime the breast tissue for later tumor development. and approximately 90percent of them are malignant. Spaying early may help prevent tumors from developing.

The ovario hysterectomy is the surgical removal ("ectomy") of ovaries ("ova-rio") and the uterus ("hyster") through an abdominal incision. The size of the incision does not indicate your doctor's surgical skill. Some doctors make small incisions, and others like to have good exposure of the surgical area. The size of the organs to be removed will vary among animals as well.

Spaying is common surgery, but every pet is unique. and special care will betaken. A careful and thorough preoperative exam will determine your cat's ability to undergo surgery. Modern anesthesia (gas or inhalants) is very safe: an anesthetic caused death is extremely rare in a healthy pet. Your doctor will instruct you not to feed your cat for twelve hours before surgery, which will allow the stomach to empty. If there is food in the stomach during surgery, it may be vomited and pass into the breathing tubes and lungs, and an aspiration pneumonia could occur.If the monitoring equipment (which keeps track of breathing and heart functions during surgery) indicates a potential problem, your cat can be brought out of the anesthesia in a few minutes. Many veterinary hospitals have the same heart monitors used for humans in hospital intensive care units. Emergency fluids and drugs,which are rarely needed, are readily available.

Postoperative complications (such as infection) are also very rare because of aseptic surgical techniques: the operating room is well sterilized, as are the instruments, drapes, caps, masks, and gowns. Modern anesthetics allow most cats to be on their feet minutes after surgery, which also probably lessens the postoperative discomfort. Your cat may be home the same day or the next day, depending on the veterinary hospital procedure.

Home care after surgery consists of keeping the incision clean (don't allow your pet to lie on dirt), restricting your cat's exercise (cats will normally restrict their own activity), and checking the incision for swelling, redness, or discharge. If any infection develops, call your doctor. The sutures can be removed in a week.

Castration (surgical removal of the testes) is recommended to prevent or eliminate roaming, spraying, fighting, and breeding in male cats. The testicles are removed through a very small incision in each scrotal sac after the cat has been anesthetized. Most cats are sent home the same day, and surgical recovery is un-eventful. In fact, when our male cat CPU was castrated, he was out of the anesthesia in five minutes. I drove him home shortly afterward, and no sooner had we arrived home than he gobbled down some cat food and briskly mounted Mitzi, our tolerant female Siamese! Now that's what I call a recovery!

It may take up to a month for the roaming, spraying, fighting, and mounting behavior to stop, because it will take a few weeks for the male hormones still circulating in the body to be used up. A very small percentage of cats may still have some residual objectionable behavior. The best time for the surgery is before the behavior patterns develop - about six months of age.

Rarely, a male cat will have only one testicle (monorchid) or none at all(cryptorchid) in the sacs (scrotum). Although sperm will not be produced in the undescended testicle, male hormones will still be manufactured: your cat will continue to strut around like the neighborhood lover. One problem with undefended is that they frequently form a large sterol cell tumor after seven years of age. Again, this is extremely rare in cats.

If your female cat has been misdated (accidentally bred), an estrogen injection, followed by estrogen tablets given at home, is usually successful at preventing pregnancy if given within twenty-four hours of the breeding. The injection makes the uterine environment hostile to the sperm and egg; therefore, implantation won't occur. Estrogen can have toxic side effects, however, so this treatment is discouraged. Unless you really want to breed your cat, I recommend annotations.

Cat Nutrition

What is good nutrition, and why is it so important? Nutrition is the process of using or transforming food into living tissue. Cat nutrition is very important for a cat because poor health of a cat may lead to serious diseases and may lead to respiratory problems as well.



If not provided a complete and balanced diet, your cat will not grow properly, reproduce, maintain the health of all its body tissues, or fight infection.

Your cat's hunt for a complete and balanced daily food intake is now easier than its ancestor's hunt for thousands of years ago; thanks to commercial pet foods as they provide a complete healthy diet for a cat. The sound of the can opener or the jumbling of the dry food in the box will awaken the beast inside your cat - it will run from the comfy carpet near the fire-place to the kitchen to devour its neatly packaged and completely nutritious "prey".

Your cat's ancestors had to go for "shopping" in search for cat nutrition. The game they caught provided every-thing: protein from muscle tissue; fats, vitamins, and minerals from organs and bones; carbohydrates extracted from the vegetable and cereal matter left in the game's digestive tract. Vegetables and cereal starches aren't required by cats, but they do provide calories in bulk.

Years of research and development by the major pet-food companies have produced complete and balanced foods for your modern cat. These products, 'filch are excellent from weaning to old age, eliminate the need for home made that are time-consuming and expensive to prepare and may lack important nutritional requirements.

The following discussion will focus on

1. The composition of food,


2. The types of pet foods,


3. How much to feed at different stages of cat's life,


4. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of commercial pet food.

What is the right food for cat? Why there is a requirement for choosing right composition of food. Right food helps the cat to grow healthy and wise and to face their maternity period strongly and healthily. And also to fight against infection, diseases, etc.

In the balanced diet for a cat there should be natural raw materials which are natural solution to remain healthy. The food can be either dry or canned for a cat. Both of these foods have their own pros and cons as discussed below.

Dry food is crunchy and is available in various flavors, colors, different sizes and shapes which a cat may like to have. It is easy to store it; it should not remain open for a long time as it can come in contact with moisture. Dry food is good for the teeth's of a cat as it helps them to get stronger. But it doesn't provide sufficient water to their body. Due to this reason their body may get affected by lack of water. Dry food is still considered as good nutritious food for a cat overall as it provides sufficient nutrition to their body.

Some cats are fond of moist food which is known as canned food. Canned food has its own benefits as the canned food is moist and rich in water. It increases the water intake in the body of a cat. We can leave canned food outside for a long time also, but once we have opened a canned food we have to keep it in cool place like refrigerator as it can get spoiled. It is good food for cats and is complete cat nutrition.

Best food for cats can be dry or canned as already discussed above. There can be some more category of food like it can be premium, or it can be super-premium. Any of this food can be a perfect cat's balanced diet.

Dog Bedding

Bedding for dogs can also be a problem. For indoor dogs you have a choice of several different kinds of mattresses, canvas stretched across metal or wooden frames, and all sort of beds. You can make beds out of pieces of thick carpet or cast-off mattresses cut down, or you can allow pets to sleep in old chairs. An old blanket that can be laundered when necessary is a simple solution.

Some people like the smell of cedar in bedding, but the smell of stale cedar mixed with dog odors is unpleasant. After a while the smell pervades a whole house - even the clothing hanging in closets. Ordinary pine shavings can be bought for a fraction of the cost of cedar and actually makes better bedding, especially if you add some flea powder to the shavings.

Some dogs refuse to sleep on soft beds. Great Danes often develop large elbow joint swellings from irritation caused by sleeping on hard surfaces, and almost everyone has known at least one dog that insisted on lying right by the crack under the door. Heavy dogs that refuse to sleep on the softer bedding provided for them sometimes develop sores or stiffness. Light dogs usually show the marks only at their elbows. In outside kennels, oat or wheat straw is as satisfactory as any bed-ding. Marsh grass is also excellent. Wood shavings are likely to be tracked out, create an untidy appearance, and are difficult to rake. If straw is placed in a kennel, there should be at least four inches of the packed material under a dog in cold weather. In summer less is needed. It is seldom necessary to dust outdoor dogs for fleas if a liberal amount is shaken in the bedding each time it is changed. In wet weather the bedding may have to be changed every few days, whereas in dry weather it may serve a month. If it stays over a week, flea powder should be dusted over it every six or seven days.

Dog Bedding Choices

While buying a bed for your dog you must be aware of the fact that you are not buying the bed for your use rather it is for your dear pet. So, you are advised to buy the kind of bed that would be preferred by your dog. If you are up to buying a bed of your dog’s choice, try to buy do a little amount of research on the breed to which your do0g belongs. Try to get some suggestions from your friends and associates who have dogs of the same breed. You may yourself try out a bit of self study to know the choices of your dog.

While buying the bed for your pet dog you should buy the bed that can be easily washable. To keep your dog away from the attack of diseases you are recommended to wash the bed of your dog on regular intervals to keep the bed and the surrounding environment clean and germ free.

Types of bird cages

The first thing that you need to consider while purchasing a pet bird is a place for the bird to stay. Ideally you should keep the bird in the cage itself. For keeping the bird as a pet you should have a bird cage. There are so many bird cages available in the market of different size and shapes and you have to select the cage for bird according to your need. While buying the cage for bird one should consider certain aspects of bird caging. The caging requirements of birds vary from one species to another.

The certain aspects that one should consider while buying pet bird cages are:

• Length of cage: The cage should have good length as all birds prefer to stay in large cages. It is significant for one to provide spacious and tall cage to birds as birds like to fly from one side of the cage to the other.


• Cages are available in different types of materials but one of the best materials with which one can go with is stainless steel. One can also have powder coated metals cage. One should prefer cages that are made up of metals than cages made up of plastics as the cages that are made up of metal are easier to clean compared to the cages that are made up of plastic.


• One should also consider the spacing of the bars while purchasing bird cages. The large sized birds prefer cages that are huge in size and that have wide gaped bars. Whereas small size birds require large sized cages as well because of their behavioral nature of flying from one end of the cage to the other. However, the bar spacing for small birds should be very small.


• The cage you choose for your bird should have wide doors and easy sliding trays at the bottom.

Types of bird cages

1. Breeding Cages: This type of bird cage is actually designed for two birds that are attached to one another but partitioned by a thin panel. One should remove the panel during the breeding period in order to facilitate mating process in birds.

2. Dome top Cages: This type of bird cage allows the birds to fly freely. This is the most spacious bird cage.

3. Parrot Perches: This type of bird cages are usually for large sized birds. Parrot perches can be made from different materials like - wood, rope, concrete etc.

4. Flight Bird Cages: This type of bird cage provides enough space to birds to exercise freely this will allow the bird to enjoy a full flight. The type of cage is ideal for community bird breeds.

These are the common types of bird cage. Many other types of bird cages are - the single bird cages, the play top bird cages and travel bird cages. One should consider the size of cage before purchasing it so that bird can fit in comfortably. It is significant for one to clean the bird cage regularly.