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Posts Tagged ‘north’

postheadericon When you have a pet spider, you have to give it a name, unless you just want to call it spider or spidy all the time

When you have a pet spider, you have to give it a name, unless you just want to call it Spider or Spidy all the time.  You may be a fan of Spiderman and name your pet after a character in the movie or the comic book series. Parker, for example, sounds like a nice strong name for a spider. If you wish, you can use the name of one of the villains, but then people may think you have a bad spider. You can also choose a name based on the spider appearance or its scientific classification. How about Rachy, based on the word Arachnid for the class of spiders? There are many choices in spider names you just have to use your imagination.

There are male and female spiders, as you know, so when you do bring home your pet you can choose a name appropriate to the gender. Charlotte is a very popular name for a girl spider based on the spider in the story Web? Spin could be a name for any gender because that is what spiders do spin webs. Webmaker, Webspinner, or even Web are suitable names, but they are not very imaginative and when someone hears the name it won’t raise any eyebrows or invoke any questions about your choice of name.

By looking at the meaning of the name, you can find many different and unusual names that will suit this type of pet. How about one of these names for a male spider?

– Malcolm – Servant of St. Columba

– Seanloach – Old hero

– Tag – Handsome

– Kaelen – Mighty Warrior

– Victor – Winner

– Rodd – from the name Roderick

-Hania – Spirit Warrior

Female names for spiders can include

– Shiny

– Erna

– Nicole

– Chloe

– Grace

– Molly

In fact any male or female name would be suitable for a spider.

Find the common name for the spider and let that be your guide in choosing a name. If you have a female Black Widow spider, you could name it killer because of the belief that the females eat the males after mating. Blacky is also a popular name, but there are also Brown Widow Spiders, so if this is the pet spider you have you can name it Brownie.  You might also want to choose a color completely different from the color of your pet.

You may be one of the spider owners who has a Carolina Wolf Spider. This opens the doors to many names because you can even use names of dogs for your pet. These spiders have a dark stripe on the abdomen, so this may give you ideas for names according to the color of the stripe. This is also one of the largest wolf spider in North America so any names that denote a large size would be very apt choices.  Since the fangs of this spider are quite large, you could even call it Fang. Then when someone asks you about your choice of name, you can tell them all about this species of spiders.

postheadericon Declawing is a major surgery known as onychectomy, performed under anesthesia, that removes the tip of each digit (from the first knuckle out) of the cat’s forepaws

Declawing is a major surgery known as onychectomy, performed under anesthesia, that removes the tip of each digit (from the first knuckle out) of the cat’s forepaws. There is a slight chance of death in the surgery, and a declawed cat may have an increased risk of infection and life-long discomfort in its paws. This surgery is not recommended for an adult animal and is considered an act of animal cruelty in some countries (see below).

People generally have cats declawed to prevent them from hunting and from damaging furniture. Rarely, vicious cats are declawed. In the United States, some landlords require that tenants’ cats be declawed.

Veterinarians are generally critical of the procedure and some refuse to perform it because the absence of claws in a cat:

  1. Deprives it of its main defense abilities, including escaping from predators by climbing trees;
  2. Impairs its stretching and exercise habits, leading to muscle atrophy;
  3. Compromises its ability to balance on thin surfaces such as railings and fence tops, leading to injury from falls;
  4. Can cause insecurity and a subsequent tendency to bite.

This operation is rare outside of North America. In Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, declawing is forbidden by the laws against cruelty to animals.[17] In many other European countries, it is forbidden under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless “a veterinarian considers [such] non-curative procedures necessary either for veterinary medical reasons or for the benefit of (the) animal”. [18] In Britain, animal shelters find it difficult to place imported cats that have been declawed and subsequently most are euthanized.

An alternative to declawing is the application of blunt, vinyl nail caps that are affixed to the claws with nontoxic glue, requiring periodic replacement when the cat sheds its claw sheaths (about every four to six weeks). However, the cat will still experience difficulties because the capped nails are not as effective as claws.

postheadericon Lyme disease in dogs is a condition that can cause a wide range of problems with your dog

Lyme disease in dogs is a condition that can cause a wide range of problems with your dog.  It can damage the heart, kidneys, or joints if left unchecked.  This disease usually occurs in southern states, northeastern states, California, and Mississippi.  However, it can occur in virtually any part of the United States.

Cause

You may be wondering what causes this disease.  Dog Lyme disease is transmitted via tick bite.  The tick that carries this illness is infected with a bacterium called Borrelia burgdorferi.  The bacterium can’t be transferred immediately though, as the tick has to stay attached to your dog for one or two days.

Symptoms

If your dog is affected by this illness, he will show a range of symptoms.  Most dogs developing limping, especially in one of the forelegs.  Although this limping will be hard to detect at first, it will become much more noticeable as the disease progresses.  Other symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, loss of appetite, and fever.

Diagnosis

The veterinarian’s first step in diagnosing Lyme disease in dogs is to take a medical history and discuss your dog’s symptoms.  These symptoms will appear suddenly, which points to Lyme disease.  The condition can be definitely diagnosed through a blood test to detect the presence of the aforementioned bacterium.  

Treatment

Dog Lyme disease should be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.  If not, permanent damage can be done to your dog’s joints and nerves.  The preferred method of treatment is through the use of antibiotics.  These drugs must be taken for at least three weeks.  If your dog is experiencing a lot of pain, your veterinarian may also prescribe aspirin.

Prognosis

Although treatment lasts for about three weeks, most dogs will start feeling better within a couple of days.  However, the disease may recur in months or even weeks.  This will require another round of antibiotics.

postheadericon Every day thousands of dogs are ‘put to sleep’, which is a kind way to saying that they are euthanized

Every day thousands of dogs are ‘put to sleep’, which is a kind way to saying that they are euthanized.  Many of these are simply unwanted animals that have been abandoned by their owners.  They are not sick.  They are not unadoptable or aggressive.  They have simply been pushed into the ‘unwanted’ garbage bin.

Here is the story of ‘Red’, a lovely Chow dog that was hanging onto its life by a thread.  Red was an unwanted dog that some careless owner had abandoned.  Red ended up as a stray and was finally picked up by the SPCA in North Carolina.  He was somewhat thin, but really a wonderful dog that would thrive in a loving home.  Since shelters only have so much room and resources, dogs brought to them can only be with them for so long.  After the required time period is up and the dog is not adopted, then the animal is euthanized.  Red was in that situation.  His time was literally ‘up’.  He only had hours to live.

Red was lucky though.  Volunteers and animal lovers came together to try to find Red a second chance for life.  What volunteers did when they found out Red’s situation was to post Red’s picture and information on blogs and websites.  Finally a dog rescue in Texas responded to one of the notices.  Red was dragged from the death table with moments to spare.  He was saved from being gassed (which they do in North Carolina—instead of the more humane needle euthanasia method).

The above is a true story and Red was given his second chance for life. Through the Texas dog rescue and the efforts of many volunteers, Red now has a chance for a great home and a long life with a loving family. 

Here is another story of poor unwanted Chiquita, a little long-haired Chihuahua.  Chiquita was only about a year old when her owners no longer wanted her.  She was also on death-row.  Again, volunteers came to her rescue as they posted her picture (Chiquita completely and lovingly cute in a little pink dress) on the web.  Their efforts saved Chiquita from death as well, and she has now been placed with a family that will appreciate what her little soul is worth.

Red and Chiquita were both lucky, but many other dogs are not.  It takes a lot of effort, time, commitment and caring on the part of many volunteers to save these poor unwanted dogs. 

What can you do to help? 

  • Volunteers are needed to accept lists of animals about to be euthanized, and who can then cross-post the details to various dog rescues that may be able to take these animals in. You can contact animalcareservices@greenvillecounty.org (email address) to get up-dated lists.
  • You can post the list to blogs or your own websites to gain as much exposure to the animal’s situation as possible.
  • Volunteers are also need to help transport the animals from one place to another.  You don’t have to take them through the whole route if the dog is being placed in a faraway location—simply a leg of the route, say from one city to another.
  • Of course, money is always helpful. Contact dog rescues in your area to find out what is needed.

If you are a dog lover and can’t sleep nights wondering about what will happen to these poor unwanted dogs, maybe you can help too.  Think of Red and Chiquita and how volunteers willing to put in a little effort to save a dog helped saved their lives.  Maybe that can be you.

postheadericon In fishing, trout are one of the favorite “fishing friends” of most anglers

In fishing, trout are one of the favorite “fishing friends” of most anglers. These crafty fish are abundant anywhere. The native habitat of these crafty fish depends on the type of trout.

For brook trout, the native habitat includes the territory from Labrador westward to the Saskatchewan, while the rainbow trout is a native of the Pacific slope from Alaska to California.

On the other hand, brown trout has found its way into the waters of every state in the United States except Florida, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Texas. It has been reported in the waters of some of these states, but according to conservation officials, no authentic reports have been received. It is also found in many parts of Canada.

In trout fishing, there are some factors that need to be considered in order to have a successful catch.

1. For trout fishing, the leader should not be greased. It will not sink far enough to cause any difficulty when picking the line and lure from the water, but if it is allowed to float; it will cast a shadow on the bottom of the stream which may scare the trout.

2. The trout is one of the fishes that are usually secured through the use of the dry fly. For trout, the current as well as the pools should be fished. It may sometimes be a bit difficult to keep the fly from sinking or dragging because of the various conditions of the current, but this is a matter that the angler will have to figure out for himself. 3. It is not good practice when fishing for trout to fish directly upstream so the flies, line, and leader will float directly over fish. The fisherman should make the cast from one side of the stream so the fly will only float over the fish.

4. It is important to make the first cast the best. A feeding trout will usually strike the first lure presented if it is cast so that it will float over his private domain. The angler should never fail to fish the lower end of the pool first even if the trout are rising in the middle or upper end.

5. Trout are sometimes very moody or selective and will try the patience of any angler; hence, possibly a fly with less hackle will do the trick or it may be necessary to use a spent-wing fly or a fan wing.

Indeed, catching trout fishes can be lots of fun. The anglers just have to remember these tips in order to have a happy catch.