Cattle

Archive for April, 2009

Though dogs don’t eat nearly the number of sweets and other substances dangerous to their teeth, it still makes sense that at least some base dental care is needed to ensure that they enjoy the best health possible.

The first step in healthy teeth and gums is a healthy diet.  This will go a long way toward ensuring your dog’s dental health.  Bones and other chew toys are also an essential part of your dog’s dental hygiene program.  But occasionally a more hands on approach is required.

The first sign of a problem with your dog’s teeth is recurring bad breath.  This is a common sign of gum infection and must be dealt with quickly before it becomes more serious.  Bacteria are the cause of the bad breath and eradicating them will quickly freshen the dog’s mouth.  A combined effort of proper hard food, chew toys and brushing with a canine approved paste constitutes a good combined strategy.

Dogs are not overly prone to cooperation when it comes to dental hygiene.  The first few times you try to brush your dog’s teeth will be a chore to say the least.  A paste that is appealing to your dog will help ease things.  Make sure that you brush gently so as not to cause pain.  If the dog enjoys the taste of the dental paste, he will soon relax and even look forward to the brushings.  Start early with puppies and avoid having to convince an adult dog that you aren’t out to hurt him.

Do not use tooth paste designed for humans on your dog.  The fluoride and other chemicals can cause serious harm to dogs.  Dog specific pates are available from your vet or in pet stores.  Make sure you use a soft bristle brush to avoid harming the dog’s gums.  Tooth paste designed for dogs is alright to swallow and is one of the rewards for submitting to a tooth brushing.

Start the brushing slowly and only try for a few minutes.  As the dog becomes accustomed to the process, you can increase the time.  Once a week is usually good enough as long as your dog is eating enough hard kibble and has sufficient chew toys.

Don’t forget to give your dog a treat after brushing.  This is just another tool to make the dog happy to get his teeth brushed.  Pretty soon your dog will be waking you up with his toothbrush in his mouth.

Many people don’t have the patience, energy and/or time to dedicate to training their dog. There are not many other activities that require as much as all this, if the end result is to have a safe, well-adjusted dog and be a happy human. For those people, the answer is to hand the reins of training your dog over to the efforts of a professional trainer.

As in any other profession, price and quality will vary. And, like many professions – particularly those involving human-animal interactions – training philosophies differ considerably. So, you already have some constraints to guide your selection of a trainer for your dog.

Assess your budget and your needs. Depending on where you live, dog training can range anywhere from free – sometimes supplied on a weekly basis by volunteers at parks or shelters – to $100 or more per session. What determines a reasonable fee will differ depending on geography, trainer experience, length of program and the goals for your dog.

Take a look at your schedule. Training programs can be weekly while others are more often. Sometimes, you will be required to leave your dog and pick it up later or, more likely, you may prefer a program where the training involves you directly. Many will advise that you spend some time training the dog each and every day consistently, whether at home or at the trainer’s facility.

Think about your commitment. Dogs, especially at the beginning of training, require regular, large blocks of time and attention in order to learn. An hour a day is not all that unusual.

In certain cases, ‘boot camp’ training programs are preferred. The dog goes away to a special facility for a predetermined length of time usually up to several weeks. The training is consistent, long and rigorous. Don’t worry about your dog. They love the intense training! At the end of the training period, you will probably be required to participate in order to ‘transfer’ the obedience from trainer to you.

But the results can very often be amazing. Dogs, who ‘graduate’ even when not special service dogs, are disciplined and ready to follow instructions. Yet, the irony is, these dogs show no signs of being repressed. They’re happy and play with much enthusiasm.

Examine your goals. You may want a dog that can be entered in shows, or you may just want them not to chew on the furniture or dig up the yard. In either case, regular training is necessary. How much and what kind will vary with breed and individual temperament.

Some dogs are fearful, either through being mistreated formerly or from a natural tendency toward submission. Some are too assertive, again through abuse or natural striving for alpha (pack leader) status. Whatever type of training you select will be dependant on how you want to influence them and what attributes they have you want to shape.

Whatever your goals, budget or commitment you want a trainer who exhibits enormous patience and boundless energy, of course, along with a deep love for dogs. Most have these characteristics in spades and then some.

Other than these basics, you’ll want a trainer whose philosophy makes sense to you and consistent with your goals. Some insist that dog training is more about training the owner than the dog – and there’s some truth to that in some cases. Some are relaxed and friendly, leaning toward the ‘touchy-feely’ style. Others tend more toward police or military style training. And the others lie between these two extremes.

It’s doubtful that there is one training style that will suit everyone, but neither is it entirely subjective. Even where there are disputes there are common principles that most will agree on. Patience, persistence, consistency and the requirement for the human to lead are only some of these.

Request recommendations from those you trust and don’t hesitate to shop around. Don’t be afraid to change trainers once or twice to find one suitable for your needs. Be careful, though, not to change on a whim. Dogs need consistency and a regular environment in order to take in what’s being taught.

Good luck and good hunting for your dog trainer!

In the first couple of days that the cat comes to the new home is a really happy time. For you, the cat owner, it’s a great chance to start to see and learn what makes your cat special to your family. The cat will also be going through changes as well. There are new things to discover and things to play with and of course new things that they must adjust to as well. There are new surroundings, new household friends and playmates and of course new house rules.

When you plan to pick up your cat, try to set aside time with the new pet.  A Friday evening when you will have the whole week end is a great time.  Maybe when you are starting a vacation and will be at home would be great as well. You will need to help the cat to adjust to the new home, and as such spending quality time these first few days will get it off on the right foot.  The cat will learn to understand you, and you as well will get to know them. Note: Please don’t try to over do it with excitement at first.

When the new kitten first arrives in your home, you might want to keep the noise down low till he gets himself adjusted.  During this time, if you have children, I would highly recommend trying to keep them from running after and/or even trying to grab the kitten. Children screaming are also to be avoided if possible.  Keep in mind the new kitten is just a baby and will scare very easily. I think it is best to just let the kitten explore at his own pace when he wants to nap just let him nap. Cats are very quick learners and you will see that you kitten will adapt very quickly.

Make it easy as possible for the cat to get his food, water, and of course his littler box. You may want to keep the kitten in one room for a start until he gets used to the new house. Then he can explore a little at a time. With patience, love, and understanding, the transition to its new home and family will be a wonderful experience.  

When you built your pond, you probably spent a lot of time planning its design. You made sure every plumbing piece was in place. You carefully selected your filter and your pump. Everything seems perfect. While everything mechanical is in place, did you know that you need to plan your fish just as carefully as everything else?

Many experienced fish keepers will tell you that the best way to guarantee long-lived healthy fish is to buy top quality stock from local reputable breeders. This ensures you have fish that have not been overly stressed by transport, carefully bred for quality and grown on the best food.

If you aren’t lucky enough to have a local koi breeder, or you’ve already bought your koi, not all is lost! In fact, most purchased koi are from national-level breeders, have been transported and do not have confirmed breeding standards. This doesn’t mean you can’t have great fish. It just means you need to be extra careful to quarantine and feed high quality food for continued growth.

Quarantining your koi fish is absolutely necessary for koi health. Every time you obtain a new fish (regardless of source), you need to quarantine your new koi for at least 4 weeks before adding it to your existing stock. If you don’t properly quarantine, you risk introducing foreign bacteria and viruses into your stock. There are some fish illnesses, such as bacterial infections, flukes and worms that can kill your stock in one week after introduction.

Proper quarantine means no mixed water, food or contact between your existing stock and your new fish. When quarantining, you need to watch out for signs of stress in your new fish. Signs of stress and illness include a lack of appetite, discoloration on the scales/eyes, torn fins and lethargy. If you notice any such signs, there are several treatment options.

If your fish has torn fins or external lesions, you should treat with antibiotics administered with the fish food. If your fish isn’t eating after several days, you may have internal parasites. Praziquantel (a.k.a. PraziPro) or metronidazole are very effective safe treatments for internal parasites, including gill flukes and worms. We recommend NOT using Potassium Permanganate unless you have exhausted all other options. Potassium Permanganate should never be used on fish with external lesions as it will burn their internal tissues.

After you’ve quarantined your new koi, and all goes well, you can add them to your pond! Depending on your bio-load and the number of fish you add, you may need to up your water changes. Already you should be changing at least 30% of your pond water a week to keep your pH stable and nitrates low. Adding more fish adds more waste to your filter, and it may take some time for new nitrifying bacteria to build up. Water changes keeps nitrites low if you’ve recently added a lot of new fish.

On top of water changes, you should regularly add salt to your pond. This isn’t table salt or anything like that. We’re talking about salt that’s iodine-free and designed for aquarium and pond use. When you add salt to your pond, your koi will build up a thicker slime coat that supports a strong immune system. Pond salt also helps respiration in koi, and is effective in killing many common parasites. You should add 2 – 2.5 cups of pond salt per 100 gallons. You should only add more salt when you perform a water change (it does not evaporate).

For your koi, you should vary their diet instead of feeding the same pellet every day. This ensures they get enough nutrients from a variety of sources. If you have very young koi, it doesn’t hurt to feed them a hearty supply of beefheart so they grow well. Also, it’s okay and encouraged for your koi to eat some plants. This gives them plant fiber which helps prevent bloat.

Koi are beautiful hardy fish that can live for years when they’re given a stress-free environment, good <A HREF=”http://www.naturalenviro.com/sections.php?section=FishFood”>koi food</A> and stable water quality. They’re well worth the effort!

Here are a few reasons why I like the UgoDog dog litter box. I’ve seen a lot of boxes and this one really impressed me.

First, what I really like about it is how it is made. it’s hard to find a dog litter box that will support a dog that might be heavy. They use an injection molding process to make the UgoDog and because of that, it can be used by dogs of all weights and sizes. So you don’t have to worry about a maximum weight limit. Now that’s nice if you have a heavy dog!

Next, I like the grate system that they use. It is a very small grid and a dog or puppies’ paws cannot get caught in it. So it’s very safe for your dog. The urine goes through the grate and the dog’s paws stay dry. That’s a great feature because with newspapers or pee pads, a dog will step right in it and can track it throughout the house. That can make a big mess…been there, done that!

Another thing that impressed me is that it is environmentally friendly. You just use newspaper in the bottom and change it out daily. No messy litter to deal with. Newspaper is completely biodegradable and I am really into recycling and the environment.

Did you know that when you use pee pads they are just like a baby diaper and do you know how long they say it takes for a baby diaper to decompose? 500 years give or take! So needless to say, this is a great feature and something to really think about.

Finally, I like the fact that it’s simple and easy to keep clean. I like simple and I love easy! You spray or wipe it down, put in some fresh newspapers and your are ready to go! Now that’s really nice!

Well, that’s my take on the UGoDog dog litter box and I hope it gave you some things to think about.