Cattle

Archive for January, 2011

Dog kidney disease is probably one of the leading causes of death in older dogs. There are two forms in which the disease can manifest itself, acute or chronic. The acute form can happen so quickly and suddenly, while the chronic form begins slowly and progresses over time. Sadly for the owner, news of either form of disease is upsetting.

Kidneys are an important organ for the body – human or canine. They are responsible for ridding the body of toxins by filtration. Kidney disease causes the kidneys to function at only about thirty percent of their capacity. If the kidneys stop working, the toxins accumulate in the blood and get deposited in other organs. Subsequently, the dog dies.

As the toxins start building up in various organs, they start to ‘shut down’ that organ. The owner can notice the apparent symptoms in such cases. The kidney disease hinders the body from functioning properly and the warning signals become more obvious. The signs can vary between the two types of kidney disease. Sudden dehydration is a sign of acute kidney disease. If you gently pull the skin of the stomach on your pet and it doesn’t spring back, then it could be that he or she is dehydrated.

You may have noticed your dog not wanting to pass urine or no urine production at all. This is also is a warning sign that your pet may be a victim of acute kidney disease. This disease can lead to your dog having extremely painful kidneys; or you may notice the animal moving with stiff legs or an arched back. These symptoms are signs for any dog owner to watch out for.

Chronic kidney disease shows different symptoms. They may well have a change of appetite with no desire to eat where normally they would gulp food. They may perhaps go off their food altogether. This will, over time, lead to weight loss. The first warning signs which highlight the start of the disease are increased thirst and water consumption. These are frequent exhibits of the condition. Sadly the dog may lose control of its bladder with frequent increased urination occurring. As time goes on urination will become painful, some cases impossible and blood may appear in the urine. Canine kidney disease can be deadly and serious, any signs of urine symptoms, vomiting, lethargic or depressed in your pet treat this as a warning sign and alert your vet straight away. If caught quickly it may be possible to gain control over the disease.

If the veterinarian suspects kidney disease he will usually follow four steps to decide if the dog has the disease or not. A thorough physical examination is what he will normally do first. The dogs relevant history will be gone over with the owner next, things such as their home behavior and symptoms. A blood test and urinary test are the two steps he will take after the first two steps are done. Both tests have to be done to make sure of a correct diagnosis. Whether or not your dog has acute or chronic kidney disease will be confirmed by both of these tests.

If you’re curious to know whether your dog is pregnant or not, you have to do certain steps to find out for sure. Pregnancy has its symptoms. And if you have noticed all of them on your pet, then high are the chances that they would deliver puppies real soon. Have you noticed the dog heat symptoms in your pet? Does your pet recently have the need to mate with male dogs? Dogs aged 6 to 12 months would go through what is called the heat cycle. This is when they reach sexual maturity. When they mated during the heat season, which normally lasts for 21 days, the dogs are surely going to be pregnant. Even so, vets and pet experts always say it is best for a dog to be pregnant when it is a year and a half to two years old to be safe.

The dog heat stage would have its own signs and symptoms. The most apparent would be blood discharges and redness of the dog’s vulva or rear. These symptoms indicate that your dog is in heat. Sooner or later, the female dog would want to mate. If you don’t want this to happen, you have to do the necessary precautions. The dog heat cycle normally comes twice every year. So if you see it on your pet today, it may take five to seven months before you see it again.

Generally, to know if your dog is pregnant for sure, it is best that you take it to the vet. You can also try to feel your dog’s abdomen. It should be firmer. Firm bellies indicate that there are puppies forming inside. The ultrasound is the best device to determine dog pregnancy. An x-ray, on the other hand, is powerful enough to determine how many puppies your dog is carrying in its abdomen. The dog’s pregnancy cycle lasts for an average of 63 days. Some dog breeds would deliver puppies in 54 days, though. Others, however, may take as much as 74 days before giving birth.

Pregnant dogs tend to be more affectionate. A good number of them are very clingy too. There are dogs that act very possessively during their pregnancy stage. However, some dogs do the other extreme. If other dogs enjoy the company of their masters, other gets very irritated, aggressive, and anti-social. This is one of the reasons why dog owners should be very wary of the fact that their dog is pregnant so they can adapt measure to protect their pet, family, and strangers around the house.

Pregnant dogs tend to lose their appetite too. For a week or so, the dogs would refuse to touch its food, only to eat like a glutton after three weeks. The increase in its appetite would continue a month and a week into pregnancy. And when the female dog is ready to deliver the pups, it would consume twice as much food as it used to. You have to prepare for the puppies’ coming at this point. Prepare beddings to keep them warm and comfortable after delivery.

When trying to find the right horse, it is important to be careful to avoid getting an animal that does not suit you. When you have a horse that is too strong, too green or even too well trained you are over-horsed. This means that you have a horse that is beyond your skill level.

It is not uncommon for riders to become over-horsed. There are many reasons for this. Sometimes a rider overestimates her skills and buys a horse that she cannot manage. Other times a parent or a coach is pushing too hard and puts a rider onto a horse she is not ready for yet. Whatever the reason, it is important to find a horse that fits the rider’s skill level as soon as possible, before the rider looses confidence, and possibly looses interest in riding at all.

When looking for a horse, be sure to carefully evaluate your skill level. There is nothing wrong with getting a horse that will challenge you, but you need to be careful not to go too far.

A common mistake is to choose a horse that is too big or too strong for the rider. With more and more riders feeling that they need a 16.2hh + horse, it is not unusual for a short rider to end up on a huge horse. Because small riders do not have the length of leg, or the weight to manage the large horse, many become intimidated.

Another mistake is to buy a fancy show prospect when you really only need a mid-level horse. Horses who are bred to compete in the upper levels generally have a more difficult temperament that horses who were bred for the lower levels. This is because they are athletes. They are built, mentally and physically, to be competitive. When not adequately challenged they will turn to other things to keep their attention. This can quickly intimidate the rider, who then backs off even more, making the issues even worse.

Some riders will try to save money by buying a green horse, when they don’t have the experience to train him. These riders do their best to train their horse, but run into troubles when the horse goes beyond their experience and starts misbehaving. While some riders will turn to trainers to help, this is not always financially possible. The horse remains uncooperative, and becomes unpleasant to ride. Sometimes these perfectly nice horses, who would have been fine with proper training, wind up getting dumped due to training issues.

Even worse is when riders choose to buy a weanling or a yearling because they are cheap. The rider does not know what to do with the baby and does not put in the handling time the baby needs to know his place. Other times the rider spends a lot of time with the baby, but does not set up boundaries, creating dangerous situations. Many riders grow impatient with waiting for the baby to grow up and start them under saddle too soon, winding up with flighty, underdeveloped horses who are not ready mentally or physically for the work they are asked to do.

If you are going to buy a horse, be sure to buy something that fits your current skill level. Choose something that will challenge you, but be prepared to get help as soon as problems arise. Being over-horsed is terribly unpleasant and can ruin your long-term riding career.

There are many things to learn when learning how to take care of a ferret, but they are all very simple.  However, you need to ensure you understand the responsibility on you as mother, father and family of your new pet ferret.  When actually deciding how and where to house your ferret, consider these 3 essentials ingredients properly and you and your new fuzzy will have many happy years together.

Safety

Safety of your ferret should be top of your list when looking at where and in what you are going to keep your pet ferret.  You do not want him escaping, injuring himself or being hurt by other animals or pets.

Get a proper ferret cage.  This is important as other cages are totally unsuitable.  You need the spaces between the bars to be right, so that fuzzy can not get that nosey head of his between them.  Also this ensures that other animals or pets can’t either.

When looking at where to put the cage, you should be avoiding radiators or other heaters.  You want a good steady temperature for your pet ferret to be healthy.

Space

I am talking about inside and out when considering the space required to take care of a ferret.

Inside, means a good sized cage, with 2 levels if possible.  Your new ferret needs plenty of room to be able to sleep comfortably and play, to keep him stimulated when not out of it and exercising with you.

That cage I going to have to have a litter tray in it ideally, so take that into account when you choose.  Buy the best that money can buy.  Do not go cheap, as there is usually a reason for that.  You don’t want to find the bars rusting in 3 months time, do you?

Outside make sure you have a good space to play, which is free of dangerous temptations, such as electric flex and wire, children’s toys and human food.  None of these lead to a long life for ferrets

Cleaning

Let’ face it animals poop and ferrets are no different.  It’s not the most pleasant thing in life, but we all have to do it!  But your ferret can’t clean his own up, that’s down to you my friend. But there are ways to make this easier.  First of all buy a cage with plenty of space for a litter box or tray and train your ferret to use it.  This is actually easier than it sounds.  This way everything is in one place and cleaning is a simple process.

You have to keep that cage clean and change the bedding regularly.  If you don’t you are storing up problems which could come out in diseases and illness for your little prince.

Make sure you have other litter boxes and trays outside the cage as well which you can train your ferret to use.