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We like to take our pets on daily walks. After all, we are concerned with their health and should want them to remain in good shape. But beware of the unseen health risks to your pet that can be associated with the summer heat.

Presently I have 4 dogs in our kennel that are being watched this month. They range in age and their general health conditions vary, and each must be considered when taking these dogs for their walks.

The current makeup consists of 2 puppies only 3-4 months of age, an 8 year old but overweight German shepherd, and a 13 year old mix breed.

A single walking session shows the effects that summer plays on each dog’s individual condition. The two puppies are young, vibrant and full of energy, and do not hesitate at the prospect of a 20 minute walk through the woods. The 8 year old shepherd and the 13 year old mixed are also looking forward to the same walk.

Within a few moments of walking into the woods, (the woods are about 100 yards from the kennel), you can notice a considerable change form the harsh daily sun to a much cooler shaded area of the woods. At this point each dog is holding their own on this simple and short walk.

At the halfway point, now 10 minutes of walking, we take a momentary rest, more for my sake then that of the dogs. Each dog is panting quite regularly at this stage. None of them look at all tired, and none have stopped to drink any water from my bottle.

Due to a recent rainstorm the night before, we have come across an occasional puddle or two for them to wade in. This has helped them stay a little refreshed.

As we head past the 3-quarter mark of this trail, there is a considerable difference in the overweight shepherd’s desire to lead the pack. At this point, the older 13 year old mixed dog, is actually keeping a stronger pace then the young puppies, even though the puppies have stopped a number of times to rest and take on water.

By the time we reach the stretch of trail back to the kennel area, the fours dogs are showing signs of being both tired and thirsty. The last 10 feet lead straight to a waiting pool filled with fresh cold water. The older dogs take a few moments to grab a quick drink while the puppies play and splash around happily. All four dogs are taking a well deserved rest.

By and far they all show some signs of being tired. But keep this in mind that they each have reacted differently to the same walk, under the same conditions. The puppies did tend to pull more on their leashes, which will cause them to put additional stress on their collars and breathing. The overweight 8 year old, while younger showed more signs of fatigue then the older 13 year old. The mixed dog is not carrying around a lot of excess body fat. The extra weight and fat is putting additional stress on the larger dog’s legs, chest and his heart.

Be careful of walking your pets in the hot summer months. Take then out during the early morning or later evenings when it is cooler. Make sure to take water with you, for the pets and yourself, if you’re going to be walking any kind of long distance. When they get back, give them fresh clean water from a hose or kiddies pool. They have thick fur coats and only cool down through their tongues so please let them relax in the shade and take a break during the walk to make sure they are not getting to overheated.

Be careful to avoid heat strokes or other conditions that can be avoided with a few simple steps. Bottom line is that you should not risk your pet’s health simply because it is the summertime and you went for a walk.

Alligators are the most life-threatening of the exotic pets. They’re like crocodilian, which comes from the family line of Alligatoridae. The name was derived from a Spanish word Anglicization, which was used by a Spanish people who were settled in Florida, U.S.A. Alligators are found by and large in America and China.

There are two types of alligators, Alligator Mississippians or the American alligator and Alligator Sine sis or the Chinese Alligator. The American alligator weights around eight hundred pounds and is thirteen feet long. The record for the longest alligator is of nineteen feet two inches, from Louisiana. Comparatively, the Chinese alligators are smaller in length and measure out not more than seven feet long. Alligators exist for more than fifty yrs. The most aged existing alligator is of seventy years, at the Belgrade Zoo, Serbia.

There are many characteristics of alligators that differentiate alligators from crocodiles but both of them belong to different taxonomical categories. Alligators have a wider muzzle and their eyeballs are sited nearer the upside. When light is blinked over their eyes, larger alligators have a red glow and smaller alligators have a green glow. This can be a very useful tip for those who are looking for alligators in dark. Even in daylight, we can observe that alligators have brown eyes and crocodiles have green eyes.

When the alligators close their jaws, only the upper teeth are able to be seen while in crocodiles, the upper and the lower teeth are visible when they close their jaws. The shape of an alligator’s mouth is like a”U” and the crocodile’s is like a”V”. Although the skin of both the animals is a darker, almost black, the color depends on their environment. The Chinese alligators have a light pattern skin, alligators which live in algae growing water are greenish black and in high tannic acid water which is released from hanging trees have a darker skin.

As the presence of the gastroliths (stomach stones) in the stomach of alligators they can eat anything. Young alligators depend upon crustaceans, fishes, snails, and insects for their food. As they grow into larger size even they need larger feed. Bigger alligators prey turtles, bigger fishes, birds, and, other reptiles and mammals. They even eat up deer, razorbacks, small alligators and even carcass of animals when they are very hungry. They have also been reported for few attacks on humans, but the number is on arising. People set out overconfident about this reality and enter alligator habitats without more caution, resulting in provoking their aggression. But alligators don’t right away attack humans, like crocodiles.

Today Alligators have turned very protected and regulated animals. Special processing is to be experienced to get the detention of an alligator. Normally baby alligators could be bought from Florida. Owners are given a special license and must be well aware of their duties. They’re against the law of many another states to take out an alligator from its natural habitat. Alligator pets should be provided with wide and wet habitat, same as the subtropical, to live in.

One of the newest cat breeds around, Ukranian Levkoy is seen predominantly in the east European country of Ukraine. Very few of these cats exist in other countries. Work on the Ukrainian Levkoy began at the beginning of twenty first century when it was felt there was a need for a cat of Ukrainian origin with a distinct appearance, particularly desirable for some breeders. After continuous efforts, finally in early 2004, first Ukrainian Levkoy kittens were born through crossing of a lop-eared male with a female Sphynx cat. Several dozen cats have been born since then and are currently registered mainly in Ukraine and Russia.

Ukrainian Levkoys have a very unique appearance. They resemble Sphynx cats but have ears somewhat like those of Scottish Folds. They are medium sized felines with a long and sleek body. Head is long and flat on top with an angular and stepped face that is almost dog-like. Eyes are big, almond shaped and occur in a variety of bright colors. Distinguishing feature of these elegant cats is their ears that are folded frontally downward. In fact Ukrainian Levkoys derive their name from the Levkoy plant, that has bent leaves, owing to their ears. Tail and legs are long and paws are oval in shape.

The other striking feature of these stylish cats is their coat. They have a thick and elastic skin and is often wrinkled if the cat is not in a fully stretched position. It is even said to be excessive over certain body parts. Hair are either very short and coarse, with uniform or patchy distribution, or entirely absent.

Not much is understood about Ukrainian Levkoys at present to indicate the presence of any hereditary medical condition in their lines. They are healthy and active cats and are said to be leading a normal life with the handful of breeders and families they are with at this point in time.

Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death in American dogs; 1 in 4 dogs die of cancer here in the United States. News of your dog’s cancer diagnosis can be as devastating as any other family member’s diagnosis.  First, of course, is the thought of potentially losing your loved one.  Next, you worry about the efficacy – and expense – of the treatment options available.  The good news is that veterinary medicine continues to research canine cancers, both from a treatment and prevention standpoint and great strides are being made on both fronts.  Of course, these treatments (which often involve chemotherapy and radiation) can be costly, which is why a good veterinary pet insurance policy that covers cancer treatments is a wise investment.

One of the most common cancers in American dogs is canine lymphoma (lymphosarcoma.) Fortunately, it is a very treatable canine cancer; roughly 50% of dogs with lymphoma can be put into remission.

Cancer is an immune dysfunction disease, regardless of the species. The lymph system circulates the white blood cells and most importantly, lymphocytes, which are specialized cells involved in immune function found throughout the body. In normal healthy dogs, these cells are manufactured in the bone marrow, with a life span of about one month.  Then, they die off and are re-absorbed into the body or eliminated through waste. With lymphoma, there is an overproduction of these cells, or the “old cells” live on, monopolizing the other blood cells. High white blood cell count and swollen lymph glands are the characteristic signs of this disease, followed by lethargy, loss of appetite and leading eventually to death unless treated.

Chemotherapy is the first line treatment for dog lymphoma, and because lymphoma generally affects young to middle-aged, otherwise healthy dogs, it is well tolerated. Sometimes the effected lymph glands are surgically removed as well. After surgery, some type of chemotherapy drug (again, generally covered by a good pet insurance policy) is usually recommended to clean up any remaining cancer cell not removed by the surgery.

As is the case with any cancer, the earlier the lymphoma is diagnosed the better the outcome.  Just as the human members of the family should have a physical every year, so should your pets…and their annual visits are also covered under most veterinary pet insurance plans, so the early detection of lymphoma is possible!  Treatment success is dependent upon a myriad of factors, including your dog’s age, diet, medical history, the location of the cancer, and how extensive it is and what major systems are involved.

The growing puppy should be weighed once a week for the first six months of his life. The weekly growth rate, which starts from weaning to six months, should be very constant that it forms a straight line when plotted on a graph. The amount of dog food consumed by a fast growing puppy should be increased at almost the same rate as the puppy’s growth. The only way to make sure this increase in dog food consumption happens at the proper rate is to feed a puppy from a self-feeder. Whenever a puppy eats everything he is fed, add a little more, so that you are always offering the puppy just a little more than he will eat.

Puppies obtained after weaning should already have an established feeding program from the previous owner. You should make every effort to find out everything you can about the type of feeding program from the old owner. The old owner should provide you with information that includes the type of dog food that the puppy is currently eating as well as the feeding times. In addition, the previous owner should tell you the amount of dog food given, so that you can duplicate them for at least a few days until the puppy has become used to his new surroundings.

Do not be afraid to change the old routine, however. Such a change is one of those that are considered acceptable when it comes to dog feeding. Do not be misled into feeding your new puppy exactly the same way his previous owner was feeding him, just because you feel that the breeder is an experienced dog feeder. Just because that person is a breeder does not necessary make him/her an expert in dog feeding. In many cases, most breeders, in their innocent ignorance, felt they were doing one of their puppies and his new owner a favor by passing their misinformation along.

If you feel that there is a need to change your new puppy’s diet to improve dog nutrition or feeding method, feel free to do so. Once the puppy is familiar to his new home and the people that go with it, you can begin introducing him to a new dog food and feeding routine. Just remember to do it slowly, one step at a time.