posted by Tess on Feb 26
Hamsters are the most popular rodents kept as pets. They are extremely easy to tame and take care of and are relatively inexpensive animals. Hamsters are a suitable pet for almost any household; children can even keep them!
There are many different types of hamsters: large, small, patterned, solid colored, longhaired and shorthaired. The most popular hamster is the Syrian. It is the largest variety and comes in either longhaired or shorthaired. The longhaired Syrian hamster is often called the “Teddy bear hamster″. There is even a hairless Syrian! It also comes in many colors such as golden brown, white, Cinnamon, cream, rust, gray, lilac, honey, yellow and black. An adult Syrian hamster reaches a length of six to eight inches.
The next most common hamster is the Dwarf Russian. It only reaches a length of three and a half to four and a half inches. The smallest hamster is the Roborovski. It is only two inches when full grown. The main difference between the Syrian hamster and other hamster species is that Syrian hamsters must be kept alone and the other species can be kept in groups. If Syrian hamsters are kept together, they will fight and can become seriously injured or even killed. You must keep only one Syrian in a cage.
Read the rest of this post here (596 words, estimated 2:23 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 23
Dog meals and snacks don’t have to hard to make or take a lot of time. Many snacks can be grabbed straight out of your refrigerator and are much healthier than baked goods.
However, there are a few things that I have noticed regarding many homemade dog food recipes that you should avoid doing.
1. Don’t microwave your dog’s food. Microwaving kills vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The radiation also alters the cell structure of the food. Scientific studies have shown that humans that eat microwaved foods have significant and disturbing changes in their blood cells. Microwaving has many serious side-effects, including altering the minerals in vegetables into cancerous free radicals. It’s bad enough that we humans continue to use microwaves to cook our food… let’s not subject our animals to it as well.
2. Many recipes that I′ve seen promote using beef/chicken bouillon cubes and/or canned beef/chicken broth. These products have very high and unhealthy sodium levels. Either use sodium reduced broths or better yet make your own.
Read the rest of this post here (608 words, estimated 2:26 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 22
Turtles are fascinating pets to own, but many people get them not knowing how to care for them. They need to have the right amount of space, light, shade, and moisture to survive. You need to learn what turtles require before you get one.
The best place to keep a turtle is outside. Turtles hibernate in the winter and if they are kept inside they won’t hibernate. This can cause them to develop liver diseases. A turtle’s natural cycle should not be messed with. Also, if you keep a turtle pen outside you can create a completely natural turtle habitat.
Some people that keep turtles inside use refrigerators to make them hibernate. This is not recommended though because if the refrigerator suddenly rises in temperature or if the power goes off, the turtle’s hibernation will be interrupted. This can be fatal for them. If you plan on keeping your pets inside, just don’t let them hibernate.
Read the rest of this post here (576 words, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 20
GOVERNMENT CAMP, Oregon (AP) — Thanks to a high-tech gadget and a warm dog, three climbers who were rescued from Mount Hood are expected to be fine.
They were found at about the 7,400-foot level on Monday and hiked down the mountain with their rescuers.
“I’m really glad they were there for us,” Matty Bryant, one of the three climbers, said of the rescue teams. “They did an incredible job. They were amazing.”
Searchers credited the group’s rescue to two things — Velvet, a black Labrador mix dog who provided warmth as the three climbers huddled under sleeping bags and a tarp, and the activation of an emergency radio beacon the size of a sunglasses case that guided them to the group.
“The most important part of this rescue is that they did everything right,” said Lt. Nick Watt of the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office.
The three climbers set out on Saturday with five other friends — all in the 20s and 30s and from the Portland area — to scale the 11,239-foot mountain, Oregon’s tallest. (Map)
Read the rest of this post here (685 words, estimated 2:44 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 19
NEW YORK (AP) — SuNae Martz is a 10-year-old jetsetter who’s crisscrossed the globe more than once. The catch: SuNae is a dog — a fluffy white coton de tulear, to be exact.
Her owner, Gayle Martz, takes her everywhere she flies, from Paris to New York to Los Angeles. But SuNae doesn′t fly in the belly of the plane like common cargo. She’s first class, in the cabin under Martz’s seat.
“I don′t check my jewelry, and SuNae is my most precious jewel,” said Martz, a former flight attendant-turned entrepreneur who created and sells a soft-sided pet carrier, the Sherpa Bag.
SuNae is one of a half-million pets that fly each year, according to statistics complied by the U.S. Department of Transportation. But not all airlines permit pets to fly in the cabin, and other policies vary too.
Some airlines charge to bring pets in the cabin some don′t. Some airlines restrict the travel of short-nosed animals, like Persian cats and pugs, which have shorter nasal passages that make breathing difficult at higher altitudes. Most also don′t allow pets to travel as cargo in temperatures below 20 degrees and above 85 degrees.
Read the rest of this post here (961 words, estimated 3:51 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 12
The whole idea of the topic of this article seems to be dubious since the fact is that kennel cough does not have any remedies at all. It is like the common cold that humans get or the chest congestion that will take its own course and heal on its own.
The symptoms of kennel cough take about 5 to 6 days to appear after the bacterium or virus actually strikes your pet. Knowing the symptoms and treatment for kennel cough can go a long way in helping your dog feel more comfortable.
The best way to ensure that your dog does not have a painful ad bad time with kennel cough is to prevent it. Vaccinate your dog against the bacterium and viruses that can cause kennel cough. Speak to your vet about the details and the schedule for the booster doses. Know that these vaccines are not only necessary for dogs that stay in kennels or go for dog shows. Kennel cough is so infectious that it can occur even if your pet stays at home generally but visits parks and goes for walks.
Read the rest of this post here (413 words, estimated 1:39 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 9
An early detection is essential for the timely treatment of any illness and this becomes extremely critical when we are discussing or talking in the context of man’s best friend – the dog. Given the fact that your dog cannot communicate to you in your language, it is critical that you be able to identify any unusual symptoms that may appear.
Knowing the preliminary symptoms of any illness or disease is therefore, required. Kennel cough is one illness that any dog can contract if he has been in close proximity with another infected dog. Though rampant in kennels and places that board dogs, the disease can attack any dog.
Read the rest of this post here (480 words, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
posted by Tess on Feb 5
Kennel cough is an illness that infects mostly canines and sometimes cats also. The condition is very similar to that of the common cold in human beings and the best treatment for this condition is to let it run its course.
The problem, however, is that the symptoms of kennel cough are extremely painful and can test the patience of many dog owners. The dry, honking cough can keep you and your dog awake through nights for more than 15 to 20 days at times.
Many people suggest cough suppressants as a remedy to check the cough, but cough suppressants actually keep the phlegm from coming out increasing the number of days of misery for your pet. And the longer the kennel cough stays, the chances of it developing into pneumonia or any other infectious illness increase.
Prevention is the best form of cure, they say and nothing could be truer for kennel cough. Giving your pet a vaccine and a booster dose when required is the best way to save him from the agony that he will go through if he contracts the disease.
Read the rest of this post here (463 words, estimated 1:51 mins reading time)
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
