Science Horizons

In the same way that millions of people cope with diabetes, so too, does the disease affect canines. Specifically, the disorder is called diabetes mellitus (DM). An insulin deficiency prevents your pooch’s body from metabolizing glucose effectively. There are two varieties of DM: Type I and Type II. The former is the most prevalent type (99% of dogs with DM suffer from this type) and occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin. The latter occurs when insulin is manufactured but your pooch’s body isn’t able to use it properly.

In this article, we’ll describe the warning signs that may suggest your canine has developed diabetes mellitus. It’s a potentially life-threatening condition, so catching it early is critical. We’ll also explain how the disease is diagnosed and treated as well as what you can do at home to help your dog manage the disorder.

Possible Warning Signs

The most common symptoms of DM include a marked increase in the amount of water your canine drinks and as a result, the frequency with which he urinates. You might also notice that he is losing weight even though he maintains a strong appetite. Other signs include a general apathy or decrease in physical activity and the sudden onset of blindness.

Treatment After Diagnosis

The health of your pooch can decline rapidly once diabetes mellitus develops. His body’s inability to process glucose effectively can lead to severe dehydration and other health issues. It is important that you have a veterinarian perform a full physical exam if you notice any of the warning signs described in the section above.

The veterinarian will ask you about your dog’s eating routine as well as his elimination activity. You’ll also be asked to describe any changes in his weight and disposition. Then, a urine analysis is performed to identify possible infections and review glucose levels.

Once diabetes mellitus has been diagnosed, your veterinarian will teach you how to administer daily insulin injections for your pooch. He or she will also create a diet and exercise routine that will help your canine manage his weight. During the first several weeks of treatment, the amount of insulin administered will likely change. Most veterinarians prefer to start cautiously with small doses and increase them gradually.

What You Can Do At Home

Providing care for your dog involves administering daily insulin shots (sometimes, twice daily) as well as any other medications that your veterinarian has recommended. You’ll also need to be vigilant regarding your canine’s eating and exercise routine in order to ensure he maintains a healthy weight level. If your dog experiences an insulin overdose (he might seem weak or disoriented), give him food right away.

As noted, diabetes mellitus can be potentially deadly. However, once it has been diagnosed, you can help your dog live a healthy, happy, and problem-free life.

Robert Runkel Pets and Animals dog care, dog health, dogs, pet care, pet health, Pets, Pets and Animals

The past few years have been rough for many horse owners in Florida. For some reason criminals have decided that horses should no longer be safe in their stables. These men and women have stolen and even murdered many horses.

Some steps that seem to work in keeping horses safe are security systems consisting of monitors and cameras. These have been effective in both deterring and apprehending equine criminals. Proper lighting and lock systems is also a great deterrent.

Open pastures are a much harder area to secure as there is plenty of open space and no place to really mount a proper security system. These pastures need to be secured through patrols or creative camera mounts to keep the horses safe.

Horses living far out in pasture can be brought in towards the pasture owners primary residence. Near the home is a great place to set up less expensive security measures like baby monitors and an old fashioned window overlooking the pasture.

Video monitoring of close paddocks is also an option. There are quite a few user-friendly systems available today, that will allow for constant surveillance of your horse. Fed directly into your home, you can install a monitor by your bed if you so wish, to make things a bit easier. Many times this is used by breeding farms, to watch their brood mares during foaling season. Video is a wonderful tool, and very affordable.

Men and women that decide to patrol their pastures should make sure they are well prepared for any sort of trouble they might run into. Always remember to bring two flashlights, a cell phone, and even a firearm or can of pepper spray for protection. Never confront a criminal before calling your local authorities.

The multi-tool is a great companion for patrols. This little gadget is easy to carry because it is lightweight and designed to fit in a pocket or belt strap. Use this tool for making any sort of emergency repairs while out on patrol.

I hope this article has given you the knowledge you need to start protecting your horses with more care. Use the information you gained here to start your horse security systems and never stop improving them.

Amy P. Cunningham Pets and Animals animal care, Animals, horses, pet care, Pets, Pets and Animals

Betta fish are a perfect start for anyone who wishes to own tropical fish. They are beautiful and taking care of them is far from difficult. Another great thing about the Betta Splendens is that they do not require too much space, which means you won’t need to buy a large tank, at least in the beginning.

To keep your betta healthy, you will need to maintain the temperature in the fish tank at around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You will also need to give the betta specific fish food. This comes in either flake or small pellets, which depends on the variety you get. Both the pellet and the flakes are absolutely acceptable for the betta and some solid foods even have extra additives that serve to keep the betta healthy or improve the coloring.

The water however, does need to be changed approximately once every 7 days and this implies that you will have to substitute all the water in the tank with clean water. For a one to two gallon fish tank, this won’t take too long and is not a challenging task, although a filter can really lengthen the period between the essential changes.

It is commonly believed that it is a bad idea for betta fish to be kept with other fish or aquatic creatures, but this just isn’t true. However, some attention should be payed to the type of fish you choose to join your betta in its aquarium. Of course, putting a female betta in the fish tank with the male isn’t likely to create an issue. Other secure species include smaller fish that do not have large or colorful tails.

It is important to remember however that putting a male and a female in the same tank will result in a multitude of additional bettas. It is the truth though, that you can’t sustain two male bettas in the same tank – even setting them in fish tanks close to one another results in shows of aggression.

You can add different ornaments to the tank, as well as crushed rock if needed. The betta should feel comfortable in the aquarium, which should be a place where it can swim around, play or hide whenever it wants to.

As you can clearly see, betta fish are great for a beginning tropical fish enthusiast, as they do not need constant care or large expensive tanks. If you take just a little time to create a cozy environment for them, you will soon be able to admire you new tropical friends in all of their glory.

Mick Turret Pets and Animals Animals, Betta Fish, Family, fish aquarium, fish bowls, fish tanks, hobby, Home, kids, pet care, pet supplies, Pets, Pets and Animals, tropical fish

You would never think of giving poison to cats, but you may be doing it by accident. In fact, overloading your cats’ diet with some hairball remedies can prevent absorption of a vital vitamin.

Many of us rely on vitamin supplements to provide a nutritional boost to our human diets. Perhaps you even thought about supplementing your cat’s diet with vitamins. After all, didn’t you read somewhere that kittens with diets low in vitamin D develop rickets? Or what about older cats with low levels of vitamin D in their diet suffering from brittle bones?

Both of these conditions are possible, but such deficiencies are rare in today’s cat diet world. That said, it is possible that you may cause your cat to have a vitamin D deficiency simply by treating him for hairballs. You could be literally giving poison to cats when you treat them with hairball remedies that have a mineral oil or petroleum jelly base.

If your cat ‘just loves’ his petroleum based hairball remedy and you ‘just love’ giving it to him, you both may need to back off the program a bit. Excessive use of this type of hair ball remedy can interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamin D.

Now that you know better that indulging your cats with this type of hairball remedy don’t be tempted to add vitamin D back into their diet. Just continue to feed a high quality cat food which is full of vitamins cats need. Once your cats are off the petroleum based product, their digestive system will be able to absorb the vitamin D again. be

Now let’s consider completely removing this ‘petroleum based’ product from your cats diets. After all, would you ingest something made of petroleum? Here, have a pint of crude to slick up your innards. Its really not a far stretch to consider this as something close to giving poison to cats.

Switch your cats over to an herbal hairball treatment. There are herbal compounds that provide a gentle yet effective solution to cat hairballs. Psyllium nigrum is a very high source of dietary fiber while Aloe ferox (a well known medicinal herb) is known for its beneficial effect on digestive functioning. Nux vom is a proven homeopathic remedy often prescribed for indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, violent retching and abdominal cramp.

Its easy to give this herbal remedy and if you have a cat who hates the other products, bets are that he’ll never even notice when you add a bit to his canned cat food. Just give 1/2 capsule 2 times daily for 10 days, followed by 1/2 capsule once daily as a maintenance dose for cats who are prone to nasty hairballs.

Kate Rieger Pets and Animals cat hairball remedies, cat hairball remedy, cat-care, Family, pet, pet care, Pets and Animals, poison to cat

Before you let your cat’s feline urinary infection make a fool out of you read on. Our cats are amazing creatures. When they get sick they deal with it and we don’t know they are sick. But sometimes they do display some odd behavior.

Sometimes they may stand on the edge of the litter box forever, but there is nothing to show. No urine or stool. Then an few minutes later you may find a puddle of urine on the kitchen counter. Even more unnerving you may find cat urine in the bathtub and it has blood in it.

Forget about your cat getting better on her own. You know a feline urinary infection is painful and brings with it a fiery itch. Your cat needs help to get through this painful condition. If you let the condition linger on and on her immune system will weaken and she may get another cat illness.

Bacteria in the bladder is a primary cause of a feline urinary infection. This causes an infection that inflames the bladder and results in a cat UTI. Advanced cases include bladder stones which can cause a cat urinary blockage which can turn into a very painful emergency situation or even become fatal.

Get your kitty to the vet for proper diagnosis. When you ask him what caused the problem he may state it could be a bacterial infection or a stress induced feline urinary infection. Stress is the second most common cause of a feline urinary infection.

Now you are wonder what can you do to prevent feline bladder infections from occurring? Today’s vets are well armed with natural products that will strengthen your cat’s immune system and help her handle stressful times. There are homeopathic products on the market with a wide variety of abilities. What they do is to maintain the proper bladder pH and functions of the urinary track. They also help inflamed tissues of the urinary tract heal.

After cat bladder infections have occurred, she needs help maintaining a natural flow of urine and get the proper nutrients to live healthily. As you can imagine, this is quite important.

If you ignore your cat’s urinary health she can quickly digress into other kidney problems. There are effective natural remedies to help support the functions of the kidney and bladder.

Remember, if feline bladder infections aren’t treated early, they can spread to the kidneys and cause further complications. Some herbal ingredients specially provide support to the urinary tract system.

Kate Rieger Gardening bladder problems in cats, cat bladder problems, Family, feline urinary infection, feline urinary tract infection, garden, Gardening, pet care, pet health care, Pets, veterinary

Pigs are great animals to raise and are very profitable for farmers. They are cheap to raise and provide a lot of food when they are fully grown. However, pigs are very prone to getting sick. They wallow around in their own filth and, being social creatures, are often near other pigs so disease can spread very quickly. Therefore, it is very important to take proper care of your pigs to protect them from illness.

Proper pig care starts with their diet. Giving pigs the right food will make sure that their immune systems are strong and can fight off disease. In order to make pigs healthy you need to have a balanced diet. Make sure you feed them a good corn and grain diet. Add lots of protein to the mix so that it rounds out their nutrients. Moreover, you need to add nuts to their diet. Doing all of this will keep them healthy.

If your pigs are sick, make sure you take the quickly to a vet. The vet will take care of your pigs and give them all the proper shots and medications. Pigs get diseases easily. Make sure you give them antibiotics regularly so that they remain healthy. Your vet will help you maintain a good schedule and safe treatment procedures for your pigs.

Make sure you follow sanitation techniques so that the area you slaughter the pigs in is clean. This is one way to protect against disease. Make sure the area is cleaned frequently after each pig with proper sanitation techniques. Make sure you keep the area covered with stainless steal so that everything is cleaned easily. Moreover, make sure your pigs are kept away from the area pigs are slaughtered.

Preventative measures undertaken to control such pests is cleaning up of any food spills, getting rid of ay debris and disposing off any dead pigs as well. Vehicles too bear the potential of carrying infection onto your farm. Areas that have access to your pig herd must be controlled by designating a specific area to an off farm traffic which is not closely associated with your pigs.

Pigs are very susceptible to disease and illness. With the ever present threat of swine flu these days, it is even more important that you monitor the health of your pigs. If your pigs are sick, you risk the destruction of all your animals, reducing your profit and investment in the livestock. Follow the proper methods of pig care and you will find that your pigs will stay healthy for a long time. You want to stop the disease before it starts!

Jack Thompson Pets and Animals Animals, exotic pets, farm animals, Farming, pet care, Pets, Pets and Animals, pigs

I couldn’t believe that my home was taken over by blood sucking fleas. Luckily, I found a product that fixed all my flea problems.

Is your pet suffering from an itch they can’t seem to scratch? Are you starting to notice an itch all over your body? Is your home infested with fleas?

Many pet owners deal with a flea infestation at least once, but did you know that pets are not the only ones bringing in fleas? Fleas are not shy. They will ride on anything or anyone. Even you can bring in fleas from outside. Well, what I came across will eliminate fleas easily and effectively from your home, but before we go into that let’s begin with a little information.

Is it really a flea infestation you are dealing with?

1. Pet Excessively Scratching

Does one of your pets itch more than normal? A pet being itchy is usually the first sign, but not the only. Your pet may simply have a rash or dry skin from too much sun. Even really cold weather conditions will make them itchy.

2. Little Red Bumps

Pay attention to your ankles. Because one of the most common place for fleas is the carpet they get to your ankles first. So look for little red bumps there that will typically go away in a few days. If your children are on the floor they may have these bumps all over.

OK, Now for how I got rid of the fleas in my home?

First, getting rid of fleas is a process that will take you a few hours, so make sure you have at least that much time to complete all three steps. If for some reason you don’t the flea infestation will not be completely fixed and they will come back again.

(1) Flea Free Pets

* Comb Out Pets – Get a flea comb and comb out all the fleas from their fur.

* Use Flea Powder – Evenly spread powder over your pet. This kills those flea eggs and larvae so they don’t grow up to multiply into another flea infestation.

(2) Eliminating Fleas In The House

* Start with cleaning all the surfaces in your home. Don’t forget to do the counters, cabinets, any tables, and the floors. To ensure the fleas are all gone, also do the floors and surfaces in the basement and garage. It’s humid there and fleas will be hiding in these areas.

* Vacuum every inch of the house. Get out the attachment and clean the corners of the rooms. Fleas love to hide here.

* Put flea powder evenly on carpets.

* To finish the home wash, dry, and then sprinkle powder over couch surfaces, and bedding.

(3) Rid Yard

* Use flea powder to sprinkle over the lawn and kill fleas before they come inside.

* Do this at the end of every spring to prevent any fleas from multiplying.

Warning: Read all the labels and directions on any product before you begin to use anywhere in your home, on your pet, or in your yard. Before most products are not safe for pets, or children. Also keep in mind that products should not be spread over gardens especially food gardens.

Jana Walsh Pets and Animals Animals, eliminate fleas, flea powder, get rid of cat fleas, how to get rid of fleas, infestation, pet care, Pets, Pets and Animals, rid cat of fleas, rid cats of fleas

In the past twenty years, pet owners have been pampering their pets in a variety of ways. So, a number of interesting developments have taken place in this area so that pets can be treated to the best of care and services. You may not find a suitable choice for your pet, but there’s no harm in looking at the important changes that are happening in the field of pet care.

A day care center for dogs is one such service for your animal companion. Pet owners lead very busy lives today. Busy schedules make it difficult for pet owners to spend as much time with their animal friends. Leaving their pets alone at home is not something which pet owners like to do.

A day care center for dogs works on the same principle as that of a child day care center. There are various options that the owners can arrange for their pets by paying for the required service. The demand for the services of doggie day care centers has been growing so strongly in some cities that these businesses seem to be opening up all of the time.

Dog-friendly hotels are becoming a growing trend in recent times. Many people are taking along their pets while traveling. Many pet owners are now taking their animal companions on business trips and vacations. Some hotels are now making arrangements to house the pets belonging to people who travel on business trip.

Many places have hotels designed only for pets. Although these hotels are mainly meant for dogs, their services are now extended to other types of pets as well. Owners who want to pamper their pets with the best accommodation in their absence opt to make use of pet hotels which are simply improvised kennels.

Today, pet spas are very much in existence. If you desire the best of pampering for your pet, send it to the pet spa for a day. A visit to a pet spa will make your animal companion extremely happy, all because it will get delicious food and enjoy a nice brush up there. Pampering your dog with a visit to a pet spa will of course cost you a packet. You should seriously consider whether your dog will actually enjoy the day at the pet spa, prior to paying up for the services.

Instead of the pet spa, your dog may enjoy the simpler pleasures of playing with his doggie friends, so you could take him to the dog park close to your home. Today, you can find dog parks all over cities and towns. Entertainment experts forecast that we will see plenty of dog parks in five years time, everywhere in the world.

Andrew Owens Pets and Animals Animals, dog care, dogs, pet care, Pets, Pets and Animals

While you are having your meals you should train your shih tzu to sit in a designated area until you are done eating. This may take several tries, but eventually the shih tzu will get the hang of it and you will not be bothered during dinner anymore. Of course, once you are finished eating make sure you praise your shih tzu by providing them with a nice meal in their own bowl, but only after you are completely finished with yours.

Shih tzu dogs are extremely smart and reactive to their environment and that includes us as pet owners. Our body language plays a major part in how they act, both positively and negatively. Displaying the proper body language will rapidly stop you shih tzu from any signs of negative behavior.

If your shih tzu’s behavior ever upsets you the worse thing you can do is chase them. They think that you are playing and will continue to run. Also, they will not understand when you scold them because they thought you where playing a game with them.

When you give your Shih Tzu dog a command, display a very bold and upright body position. Stand up, chest forward, and head back. Your Shih Tzu dog will have more respect and a slight bit of intimidation, which can help with training him or her.

If your Shih Tzu dog is extremely excited then do not add to the problem by getting feisty. Instead, move slowly and talk in a soothing tone of voice. Display the same behavior you wish them to use. Doing so will calm them down and it will be much easier to change their behavior.

Retrieval training is also a fun task to take on. The best way to take care of this first step is to use little bits and pieces of dog food or dog snacks. Take out the food and just sprinkle two or three treats on the ground. Do not let your Shih Tzu dog run to eat the food too fast. In fact, you should first train him or her to sit and stay until released, and then you point to the ground and say “pickup”, “pickup”.

Each time your Shih Tzu dog grabs a piece of food, drop another piece behind you and then point while giving the “pickup” command. As you can probably guess, your Shih Tzu dog is going to associate the command you are giving him of “pickup” with the notion to look for something to put in his mouth. This part of training does not take long at all, especially if you are using tasty treats and also training your Shih Tzu dog when he or she is hungry, as this helps to increase their motivation.

One other thing to keep in mind is when your shih tzu is less than one year old, never allow them to roam around your house freely. Instead confine them to one room with a gate. If you do not do this then you will be unpleasantly surprised when arriving home from work.

Rachel Simon Pets and Animals animal trianing, Animals, breeders, dog training, dogs, pet care, Pets, Pets and Animals, puppies, shih tzu history, shih tzu puppies, shih tzu training tips

If you have never thought about making your dogs food, you may never have been introduced to the wide world of homemade dog food recipes before. There is a vast range of meal ideas for your pet, just as there are for humans, that can provide your pet with a complete and nutritious meal plan. You can find homemade dog food recipes for soups, stews, breakfast meals, international food, snacks and main dishes. New recipes are developed all the time. You will have fun researching pet food recipes!

Finding homemade dog food recipes is relatively easy with your old pal the internet. You can do a search for homemade dog food recipes on Google. Lo and behold you will be inundated with plenty of recipes. If your pet has a liking for beef then add that to the search. Type something like, homemade dog food recipes with beef and you get plenty more recipes. You will be surprised how easy many are to prepare. The important consideration is the quality of the ingredients which is where you come in.

When you come across a recipe that you think your dog will like then give it a go ! Make sure the recipe doesnt contain ingredients your dog is sensitive to. You cant be sure your dog will enjoy the particular homemade dog food recipe until you make it and he tries it so this method truly is one of trial and error.

After you have a better feel as to your dog’s likes and dislikes, you will find that you can then narrow down your search when you are looking for homemade dog food recipes. You might find that your dog dislikes beef, for instance, and then you might decide to search for recipes containing chicken, or turkey.

Of course, an important consideration when you are looking for dog food recipes is that the meals are balanced and complete. Not all meals will be balanced and complete, just as many human recipes you find on the internet may be treat type foods rather than healthy options. Find out what the nutritional guidelines are for each recipe or consult your vet about a meal you may be planning for your pet.

The doctor can also make up a list of ingredients that will satisfy your pets nutritional requirements, and he is aware of the differences in dietary requirements from breed to breed. You can also have him check out the homemade dog food recipes youve been planning to try.

Keep in mind that your dog may not like some of the new homemade dog food recipes but provided the ingredients are fresh he probably will eat most of them. However, learning what he likes and dislikes is all part of the fun. It will bring you closer to your pet and the benefits in his health and temperament will make it worth the effort.

Adrian Fletcher Pets and Animals dog, dog food, dog health, dogs, pet, pet care, Pets, Pets and Animals