Friday, December 30, 2011

Tips That Will Help You Save Any Dog’s Daily Life

Dogs may well suffer wounds or secure sick from many different diseases, but it can happen at times when a fabulous veterinarian seriously isn’t available while you haven’t observed where any nearest urgent situation animal clinic is at. Since your dog is a fabulous dear person in your household, you like to save a person’s dog’s daily life, but are you currently prepared to get over such emergencies?
Guidelines 3 useful information on dog emergencies:
1. Nurturing Wounds.
You can secure bleeding wounds in many ways: Simply by fighting by means of other wildlife or by means of (mainly traffic) incidents. So discovering how to cease a hurt from bleeding doggy to death is useful knowledge: Apply a fabulous clean joint of cloth towards wound and also keep it all there for around 5 moments, – absolutely tape any cloth towards wound. Do not take any cloth out, since that would probably make the hurt start hemorrhage again. If bleeding throughout the cloth, find some other clean joint of cloth and placed it firmly to the first joint of cloth. Using hydrogen peroxide to help disinfect any bleeding hurt is season idea here, since it will slow any clotting within the blood and lead to a larger loss of blood. The clotting within the blood in your wound might be nature’s strategy for stopping any bleeding, that makes it important not to ever disturb it all.
2. Poisons in your Mouth?
Another prevalent dog urgent situation situation is that this doggie does have something throughout his lips, which might be poisonous to help him, and he may even get swallowed a bit of it. Several amphibians such as toads, newts and the like excrete poisons on the skin (to maintain other wildlife from choosing them! ) just in case it climbs into a dog’s mouth it can become dangerous whether it is left in that respect there or uglier: if it happens to be swallowed. Your dog will express that a specific thing is wrong having mouth by means of drooling and also wiping it all while crying. You must quickly always rinse the dog’s lips with clear water if you do not feel that it’s been cleaned within the poison. With no a hose currently happening, it can be easier to help pour drinking water in your partner’s mouth if they’re lying down on the side. And you could prevent your pet from drinking the lake by preserving his lips open before rinse is completed. It can be difficult to stay his lips open at all times but due to the fact his life can be at stake one should be agency with your pet and – if perhaps necessary – make use of available materials to stay his lips open.
If you suspect that this dog provides eaten a specific thing poisonous, it is crucial that he was designed to vomit any poison if perhaps he doesn’t exercise by very little. This isn’t going to apply discover that your dog has swallowed one example is a caustic fluid (like “drain cleaner”). It’s likely that it might be better to supply him various acid (like vinegar), so the caustic liquid lacks to move his gullet some other time. Likewise if fresh been taking acid: try to give him a factor that can neutralize the chemical p, like magnesia and chalk for example.
3. Choking
Because dogs desire to feel things to their mouths, choking may be a common (and fatal) threat. Apart through foreign toys, allergic reactions might make your dog’s tonsils swell towards a point whereby he can’t breathe.
In case the dog might be unconscious, you simply must act rapidly. First you can try to kick out whatever is due to his tonsils by pushing his belly slightly below the ribs by means of one offer, while looking after his back along with your leg/foot. This can be easiest to try and do when doggy is lying one side. While there is a financial risk of damaging body organs, don’t push too difficult but exercise once or twice. Watch your partner’s mouth to work out whether a specific thing appears if you end up pressing your partner’s belly, and become ready to cut out it along with your other offer. If nothing arrives after a couple of pushes, you are able to quickly now let two kiddy hands search your partner’s throat on an object, – while you’re still pushing using the other offer.
Actually: If you lift your dog by any hind thighs, you may instead try to hold your pet firmly via the thighs and also lightly jitters him down. This will certainly make the currency object fall out in a fabulous gentle process.
If they’re still choked by a specific thing, you could try to give your pet artificial breathing by conclusion his lips and placing orally over your partner’s nose (he ’s your best colleague! ). Blow in his bouquet until your partner’s chest goes up visibly and then push again as prior to when. This are generally repeated before obstruction arrives.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Caring For Horses Takes Great Time And Effort

Deciding to keep a horse is a big step. Caring for horses takes great time and effort and it is not cheap. There are many important factors to take into consideration:
Space and Light
On investment to take into consideration is where you will keep your horse. Horses are large animals and require a large space to roam with adequate lighting in order to keep your horse happy.
Quality stables are a must investment, especially with the British weather. Harsh weather conditions such as wind and rain can damage and overtime corrode the stable, so it is important to chose quality stables that are strong and durable.
Allow 400 square foot per horse, if your horse is subject to small and cramped spaces they are prone to sickness, compared to a horse with a comfortable living area. Horses that are kept in small low light conditions are known to become aggressive and uncooperative.
Cleanliness
Horses require considerable time, work and attention to stay healthy. Grooming is an essential part of caring for horses, but cleanliness doesn't just stop there, it should be carried through to the stables and equipment used, to ensure that they don't become a haven for dust, mould and parasites. This will ensure that your horse stays fit and free from disease.
A drainage system should be installed to allow for easier cleaning and to flush away urine and faeces easily.
Ventilation
It is important that your horse gets plenty of clean fresh air; a poorly ventilated stable encourages the spread of dust mites and parasites that can affect the health of your horse. It is important to place windows carefully as to get good ventilation but so the stable doesn't get too windy.
Bedding
The hard ground can cause grazes on the horse's skin, which can become infected, therefore your horse should be provided with soft and comfortable bedding.
Food and water
An important part of keeping a horse is ensuring that they have a good diet; this will keep them healthy and ensure that they remain in good physical shape. Horses eat what is known as legumes. The best-known legumes are peas, beans, peanuts, lentils, alfalfa and carob. Horses are often fed hay, which is a mixture of grass and legumes. Owners also may feed their horse oats and corn. As a treat you horse will enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables such as carrots and apples.
Because horses drink a lot of water, they need a high amount of salt in their diet. Owners often leave salt lick in the horses stable for them to lick throughout the day.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Cedar Works Bird Feeders

Cedar Works is a very well respected American bird care manufacturer. It sets itself apart from other businesses in it is market because of it is commitment to solely utilizing cedar in its hardware. The provider particularly uses a special type of cedar which is termed aromatic cedar. This unique breed of cedar happens to originate in the firms founding state of Ohio. Cedar proceeds to provide bird enthusiasts with a diverse array of splendid items. The purpose of this write-up will be to supply readers with more information about Cedar Works bird feeders as well as its popular items.
The business is very well recognized for the exquisite work of its bird feeders. The aromatic reddish colored cedar utilized to craft the feeders receives an excellent aroma to it as well. A typically overlooked benefit of these products is actually that they are actually weather resistant as well as very resilient, as well as being eco friendly. The natural ingredients of the material do not require any harmful elements for defense. These feeders are referred to as some of the highest high quality feeders in the whole business. It is truly a joy to possess one of these items in your own flower garden.
The business prides itself in the design of its feeders. Customers will certainly discover a design to match almost every requirement they would desire in a bird feeder. Many products have different functions, yet all of the feeders get the job done effectively.
Some of these are:
Gazebo N311G: The Gazebo is an utterly flawless product. It is made with an open window principle which develops added space and luxury for birds. This special item is constructed for all kinds of birds no matter the size. It is outfitted to carry various seed types. This style is surprisingly flexible and as a result it has shown to be vastly prominent with its users.
Hopper: The Hopper is a particularly unique product because of its size. It enables one to place two different types of food in the feeder. The outcome of this is actually a tremendous volume of bird traffic at your feeder. This happens as a result of the variety of food captivating many diverse types of birds. Many different sizes of birds frequent this piece of hardware. It possesses the capability to carry up to 5 pounds of seed as well as 2 suet cakes. This design is excellent for folks who desire to entice a great variety of wonderful birds.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Buy A Hedgehog As A Pet

Hedgehogs are cute little creatures, their faces very appealing. Of course, they have spines too so they aren't exactly great for petting or stroking, but they certainly aren't dangerous like porcupines either. After a few days to acclimatize itself, you should be able to pick it up. Don;t be discouraged if it rolls defensively into a ball at first, it may take a while longer until it is used to you personally. If you continue to hold it, it will naturally sense there is no danger and will relax before exploring your hands, and you. Ideally you will have a cage to keep the animal in, at least a rabbit hut size. It will need a small nesting box to hide in, and a litter box that is kept away from the food and water. . The Standard of Perfection is a guideline of what the perfect hedgehog should be the type of hedgehog that the breeders should aspire to. The shows are a way to reward the breeders and owners of the hedgehogs who come closest perfection. These hedgehogs are the ones that the judges feel will improve the overall quality of the species.

A person can never really know for sure what it is like to have a particular kind of pet without actually living with one. That much said, it is important to try to think ahead - before you bring a new pet into your home - is this pet right for me and my life style? Read on to learn about factors to think about and questions to ask yourself before you bring that hedgehog home! Hedgehogs need to eat insects. Most insects can be purchased and then immediately frozen. This keeps the insects fresh for quite a few months, but it also reduces the "ick" factor for many people as they can no longer fly, crawl, or otherwise escape. If you are running down a steep incline or vertical shaft, push down to make Sonic spin. A spinning Sonic is more serious to enemies and a lot less susceptible. Sonic cannot carry his breath underwater forever. He can gain a fresh breath of air from the big ones. If you get hit and drop your rings, try to re-recover as many as you can before they jump away. As long as you have some rings, Sonic is safe from adversaries.

Hedgehogs need to be handled daily if at all possible to remain social. Hedgehogs are less naturally social and they tend to forget what it is like to be handled very quickly. Hedgehogs are also less likely to view you as a friend and companion - although many do. When a hedgehog judge looks at a hedgehog they are evaluating several things including; color, quality of the quills, and body shape. All of the judges at hedgehog shows agree that the most important thing to consider when evaluating a hedgehog is the temperament. The first thing they are looking for when evaluating a hedgehog is temperament. These animals are pets, a good, friendly, quiet personality is important. Hedgehogs with ideal conformation but have are high strung or cranky won't place as well as a quiet, friendly hedgehog with mediocre conformation.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Ferocious Animal - The Leopard

The Leopard is at its most dangerous once wounded, and is very likely to attack in retaliation. Leopards are typically shy, solitary nocturnal animals. The Leopards habitat is spread widely across the whole of Africa. Leopard can go long times without water as they are able to drink the blood from their prey, that said they will regularly drink water when ever it is available. Adult Leopards eat about 20 percent of their own body weight from a single feed. The male 'Tom' can weigh from 120 up to 200 pounds, females are smaller from 70 up to 130 pounds, appearing notably thinner than the male tom. Ever since the early seventies, geckos have been scrutenized a lot by herpetologists and a lot more knowledge has been found out about these lizards. More than 30 short years ago, these creatures were discovered and exported into America found themselves in our homes. These reptiles are grouped into many specific patterns.

Leopards are highly territorial and a excellent killers, they have exceptional eyesight and hearing requiring stealth to hunt successfully. Even once you have taken a shot and hit the Leopard approach with great care, Leopards are well camouflaged and a master of stealth, appearing to attack you from out of nowhere. A normal or regular leopard gecko, or commonly known as a Leo, has sort of an orange yellow skin with black spots like a leopard. Very similar kinds of Leo's are high yellow. Similar to a normal leopard's but with a much brighter yellow color, high yellows are one of the original designer leopard gecko breeds. Pastels are a very interesting variety of leopard gecko breeds. Lacking most black pigment the leopard spots are actually replaced with other colors like tan or sometimes even lavender bands. Pastels, as the name implies are a rather pale but colorful kind of leopard breeds.

As the Leopard is mainly a nocturnal hunter, it is extremely difficult to get the right shot as we must hunt the Leopard during the daylight hours. As they are the smallest of the big five dangerous hunts, the Leopard can be taken with calibers as small as.270 or 7mm. However, in African countries the.375 is the minimum legal caliber. Although they look very similar these albinos can actually not be mated with all other breeds so it's best to know what mixes well with yours before you get one. Some people say that a blizzard leopard gecko is also a type of albino since it only has the faintest traces of yellow on it. Tangerine Leo's are pretty much exactly the way they are described; a bright orange color instead of the yellow that so dominates most leopard gecko breeds. Also known as just plain 'Orange' these types have an increased orange color depending on what you feed them. A diet rich in carotenoids means a deeper orange color. He's got a big, bullish head tapering down to a slender tail and he swims a bit like an eel but on a grand scale. He's got tiny eyes but, considering in the wild he would hunt at night and in coral crevices he probably doesn't really need them. No-one really seems to know why they start out life as a Zebra shark and then develop their leopard print pattern and Leo certainly isn't telling.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

The Export Of Australian Sheep

The majority of sheep are exported from the port of Fremantle in Western Australia, with almost three quarters of Australian sheep exported from this port in 2009. Over 50% of sheep from the sheep production industry in Western Australia are exported live overseas, making the industry especially important to the Western Australian economy. Other ports that export live sheep include Portland and Port Adelaide. People don't usually raise sheep for pets and to some the idea is kind of "out there." However, if you are one of those unconventional pet owners or collectors, or you have a thing for farm animal pets, or you simply want something wooly and says "baaaa," then we can't blame you-love for pets should be universal, what ever kind they may be. Sheep prefer to eat weeds, grass and clover. They're diet isn't very strict and would even eat plants you don't want them to eat or vegetable in your garden. A mature sheep only requires eating about 2 percent of its body weight per day. It only requires 8 to 10 percent of protein in its diet.

Australian sheep are exported to countries across the Middle East, primarily Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE. In 2009 over 3.5 million sheep were exported to these countries, with Kuwait taking 950,000 head and and Bahrain taking 747,000 head of sheep respectively. The live export of sheep from Australia to the Middle East is vitally important to the food security of the region, with Australian sheep providing an affordable and secure source of protein for communities in the region. This includes funding full time staff based in the Middle East and expert consultants who travel to the Middle East to upgrade facilities such as feedlots, ports and abattoirs, as well as to provide sheep handling training.

Australian sheep are transported to abattoirs that have also been upgraded by the Australian industry. Training is provided to staff at these abattoirs, and specialised equipment to assist local staff to process Australian sheep in accordance with the internationally recognised World Organisation for Animal Health standards is also installed. Australia is also involved in the meat export industry, exporting chilled and frozen beef, sheep and goat meat products to countries across the world in addition to exporting livestock. This is because there is demand for red meat products as well as livestock from overseas countries, and Meat and Livestock Australia invests in promoting all of these products to consumers overseas. This includes employing a team of animal welfare experts that work with local veterinarians, stockmen, truck drivers, feedlot operators and port staff to improve how Australian sheep are cared for in the region.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

You Can See Ostrich In South Africa

Ostrich, common name for a large, flightless bird, now found only in Africa, but formerly found in the Middle East, where it is now probably extinct. Ostriches are the largest and strongest of living birds, attaining a height from crown to foot of about 2.4 m (8 ft) and a weight of up to 136 kg (300 lb). They have long necks and small heads, with large eyes and short, broad beaks. Ostrich Feather Centrepieces have been used increasingly in recent years to add a bit of sparkle to events and should you be in the process of organising an event where it is possible to use Ostrich Feather Centrepieces then surely they must be taken into consideration. Ostrich Feather Centrepieces will provide your event with a unique talking point and something to give your event the unique feel it deserves. See for yourself online how Ostrich Feather Centrepieces can add glamour, elegance and class to any function but only seeing Ostrich Feather Centrepieces in action on the big day itself can you truly appreciate their beauty.

Ostriches are rapid runners and can reach speeds of about 65 km/hr (40 mph). The males are polygamous and travel about with three or four females, or in groups of four or five males accompanied by mates and young. The females lay their yellowish-white eggs together in a single large depression in the sand. Walking in a room decorated with Ostrich Feather Centrepieces has a significant first time impressions and the Ostrich Feather Centrepieces are bound to be a key talking point throughout the day. Whatever you colour scheme or plans there are now Ostrich Feather Centrepieces available to suit you. As with everything on your big day the meal needs to be planned well in advance and you will need to start looking around for Ostrich Feather Centrepieces early. Not only because they take time to make, but also because with so many Ostrich Feather Centrepieces around in a variety of colours, styles, heights and ranges then choosing the Ostrich Feather Centrepieces to best suit you may be one of the toughest choices you make.

Ostriches form bisexual groups with a complex structure, Territorial males compete for flocks of 3 to 5 hens. Mating includes elaborate displays of hisses and dancing. Once divided into mating groups, ostriches in some areas use communal nests to hold anywhere from 14 to 60 eggs. The nest is a hole scraped in bare ground about 1 to 2 feet deep. The average egg is 6 inches in length, 5 inches in width, weighs about 3 pounds, and is shiny and whitish in color. Ostrich Feather Centrepieces provide class, elegance and glamour to your big day and overall Ostrich Feather Centrepieces will provide a unique attraction to your table design. Some new ostrich farming enterprises might decide to cover all farming aspects, ranging from young chicks to slaughtering the ostriches. Some farmers might decide to hone in on a specialized market, producing only a limited number of items for marketing.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

General Information About Zebra

In the Australian grasslands they have a small bird called Zebra Finch. Those finches come in a wide variety. Because of the strict policies of exportation of animals that Australia has, most of the finches are not born there. Zebra finches are very colorful birds, the males being more colorful than the females. Because of the ease in breeding these birds in captivity and the very attractive coloring, they have become very popular. Finches are not known for liking to be held, the finch really doesn't like to be held or petted. So they are beautiful birds but if you are buying one because you would like to hold it, the zebra finch is not recommended. Finches in the wild do tent to flock together with other finches of the like, this is the reason they are so social in captivity. If you think of purchasing a finch, you might consider buying in pairs as to insure they are happy.

Care for your zebra finch will consist of the correct seed which is available from any local supply store. finches also need a diet supplement of greens, vegetables and fruits. If you can get sprouted seeds this is optimal in providing the need for greens. Cucumbers and carrots will satisfy the vegetable needs. Always make sure your finch has plenty of water, and always include a bathing area, they love to clean themselves. Calcium is essential as a mineral supplement. This encourages bone development as well as helping with female egg production. At your local supply store look for a Cuttlebone, this will be more than adequate. When we bring them into our homes, they quickly become a treasured member of the family; stealing our hearts with their quirky personalities, beautiful colors and patterns, vibrant singing and their endless activity. They are also one of the easiest pet birds to care for and they are rather inexpensive. They make a cheery addition to any home.

Usually, the male Zebra Finch will have gray wings and upper body with a white belly. Their legs and beaks are reddish-orange in color along with cheek patches of the same color on each side of its head. There are also teardrop markings under the eye that can be fawn, brown or tan. The flanks or sides which are located just below the wings of the male Zebra Finches are either chestnut colored or orange with white dots. The female Zebra Finches are usually white in the belly with a gray upper body and wings. Their beaks and legs are a lighter color than the males, and the females do not have stipes. For the females, the teardrop mark right under the eye is black. They will play and sing, brightening up the household, and make everything so peaceful and relaxing. Take good care do not grab at your finches, zebra finches tend to scare easy like other finches and you do not want to cause any trauma in your birds. Always remember to have everyone in the household trained on care for your birds.

Monday, November 28, 2011

Do You Know Parrot's Behavior ?


Parrots to some extent exhibit a true uniqueness among pets. Their mentality, personality, and in some instance speaking ability is likened to that of a 2-3 year old human. Aside from the cuteness this brings to mind, one must not forget the terrible 2's that many children go through. Parrots of many species can throw an extremely good tantrum when the situation demands such. Most instances of parrot misconduct can be explained if one looks hard enough. However, one must also account for the fact that once dusk arrives the birds require a quiet, dark place to sleep. Watching late night television will not do, unless one wants a cranky parrot on their hands.

You should consider that in the wild they eat a variety of seeds, fruits, and other natural items. In a home environment the typical diet will consist of seeds, vitamin enriched pellets, fruits and vegetables. If that sounds like a shopping list, then you must keep in mind that there is some food cost associated with these animals. They build their nest by hollowing out cavities in trees with their beaks. Chewing is a normal behavior that needs to be accommodated by providing your parrot lots of parrot safe things to chew. Don't expect your parrot to be able to tell the difference between your wood furniture and his toys. He won't! This chewing though quite natural will produce mess!

The plastic can then be simply picked up every couple of days and thrown away. You may want to place plastic on the walls your parrot's cage is sitting next to for wall protection against food throwing. Finally be sure to provide plenty of parrot safe toys for your parrot to shred and chew. Parrots are wild creatures and living in a cage is an unnatural state for them. It's just their nature. Parrots are naturally messy creatures. These behaviors are only a problem because your parrots in a living room and not a tree. The maintenance of the bird's surroundings will be your responsibility. Included in these tasks will be cleaning the cage and surrounding areas and may involve some scrubbing of perches and toys to remove the birds droppings and keep the cage as sanitary as possible. A word of caution before you do any cleaning however.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Have You Seen Tiger ?

I have seen Green Tiger Tomatoes, Green Tiger Beetles and even cute little Green Tiger Barb Fishes, yet short of dipping a ferocious tiger in green food coloring I doubt very much I will be seeing a green tiger soon. Well, guess again.Sure, there is still more that I can do to become even more earth friendly with my business, and I will always to watching for ways to improve. I think what is important is that we all try to do our part to reduce our carbon footprints. As it is, even the seemingly little things, ad up. So when de-cluttering and downsizing is on your list and you have some things you need to part with, let me provide the help to make sure your unwanted items are handled in a environmentally friendly manner. I will help you to donate, sell, consign or recycle and together we will do our part to stay green.

Tiger barbs are suitable for beginner aquariums where they are best kept in large schools. Tiger barbs can often resort to fin nipping if they are kept in too small schools but this is seldom a problem if they are kept in large schools. It is however still recommended to avoid keeping tiger barbs with slow moving, long finned fish species. The average life span in a well kept aquarium is 6 years.The tiger barb originates in South-East Asia and are native to Indonesia and Malaysia. They live on the Malay Peninsula, on the island of Sumatra and on the island of Borneo. The tiger barb can however today be found in many waters around the world where it voluntarily or involuntarily have been introduced by man. Countries where it has been introduced includes Australia, Singapore, Suriname and Colombia.

They often spawn in regular community aquariums but it is rare for any fry to survive in a community aquarium. Most often the eggs get eaten well before hatching. They are easy to sex as the female tiger barb is larger and have a much rounder belly. Males have distinctive red noses, and above the black part of their dorsal fins you can see a characteristic red line. The dorsal fin of the female is mainly black.They will likely spawn the next morning or at the very least the morning after if they are in spawning condition. If you fish hasn't spawned in tree days a recommend trying another pair instead. The eggs are sticky, do not float in freshwater and are usually slightly above 1 millimetre (0.04 inches) in length. The number of eggs usually ranges from 300 to 500.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Human should pretect the rare animals

  
Human interaction and disruption of a species is the most obvious cause for concern, including deforestation and hunting that make a drastic impact on animal populations. Deforestation means the habitats which the animals rely on for food and shelter are being lost thanks to intensive collection of materials for building. Many animals that face this end up dying thanks to lack of a suitable place to relocate to. In more recent years, conservationists have made it so animals often get relocated before work on their habitat can commence. Thanks to awareness campaigns and a drive for animal rights, this type of work is being made to have less impact on wildlife each year.
Hunting in many parts of the world is a crime, especially when the animals being hunted are of a rare or endangered nature. Poachers aim to make big money by selling on the body parts or hides of certain animals, and go to many risks to acquire these animals. Intensive hunting has seen more than one species go extinct in the past, including the Dodo bird. With awareness campaigns and protective schemes being put into place it is becoming harder and harder for poachers to hunt, but unfortunately the market is still saturated with high buyers that will pay large sums of money for rare animals, so the demand for hunters still exists.
Humanity may be the main cause for this loss of wildlife, but we are also trying as hard as we can to preserve those species that are slowly being lost. Charities, trusts and wildlife foundations are all highlighting the plight of animals that have been suffering, raising public awareness and funding in order to protect and increase populations of those animals that are in danger of being lost. Unfortunately, not all of the problems are so easily stopped - many animal populations worldwide are being affected by global warming, killing off food sources and forcing migration upon animals that need specific climates to survive. Unless the process of global warming can be halted or reversed then these animals will have to adapt or may inevitably end up dying out.
By supporting animal welfare charities or volunteering to work with animal protection or educational charity groups, you can do your part in the field to really help out those species that are in danger of dying away before we can help them. Any donations that are made towards these charities are a great help and will ensure the survival of these animals for that little bit longer. Our future generations have the right to see these animals in their full glory, not just in picture books, and the animals have the right to life.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

The healthy life of dogs foods

Being a responsible dog owner is all about loving a pet in the right way. Spoiling them and giving them the wrong things to eat isn't the right way to show them love and affection. They need clear behavioural boundaries and they need the right pet diet too. Otherwise they will behave badly and become overweight. Dogs are lively and active creatures. They need to be fit, lean and healthy. So they need training and they need the right dog nutrition. That's how to care for a dog properly and responsibly.

Everyone has seen them out in the park. Dogs in jumpers, overweight dogs, dogs dominating their owners. The world seems to have gone crazy. Dogs only need pet food, not fine cuisine. And they need to understand their place in the “pack”. Which is not at the head of it. And there's an epidemic of these badly behaved and overweight dogs. It's time to restore some sanity in our relationships with dogs. They don't need makeovers, accessories and excessive feeding.

When constructing the right pet diet it might take a bit of experimentation, but any dog will soon settle into a routine. They need a mix of meat and dried food to give them all the nourishment that they need. Nothing more nothing less. When it comes to dog nutrition it pays to go to a specialist pet store. As well as having a larger range of foods, staff are more knowledgeable and can dispense advice on what to feed them. Because when it comes to dog food, one size does not fit all. Different dogs and breeds need different foods. Plus the other factor to consider is the age of the dog. Puppies are growing fast, whereas senior dogs might need a few added supplements to keep them healthy.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Pina Island Tortoise

Meet “Lonesome George,” the last known example of the Pinta Island Tortoise, the rarest endangered animal in the world, with only “George” left. That we know about. The species was considered to have become totally extinct, until 1971 when this last specimen was sighted by rangers, who are desperately trying to find a mating female. they have even posted a $10,000 reward for that Turtle-ophile still holding out on us with the Pinta Island Tortoise in their personal collection. Hello, Michael Jackson Estate, we’re looking at you. To be honest, I have no idea if MJ used to own one, but he did try to buy John “The Elephant Man” Merrick’s skeleton, so who knows.
“Lonesome George” is estimated to be between 60-100 years old, likes long, long, long, long, long, long walks on the beach, and dislikes “fake types.” A romantic lettuce-eater just looking to meet that ‘special someone” who will coax him out of his shell and into the Galapagos Islands of their heart, George is a pretty special guy who would be a real “keeper” for any hot minx of a Pinta Island Tortoise female. More turtle than you could shake a Lord Howe Island Stick Insect at, for sure!
And what reclusive she-tortoise wouldn’t want to cozy down on scenic Pinta Island (aka Abingdon Island)? It is one of the historic Galapagos Islands, located some 525 nautical miles off the coast of Ecuador? It’s a little bit Ecuadorian Province, a little bit romantic national park, and a whole lotta biological marine reserve. Just perfect to sit back, read Darwin’s Origin of the Species, and hatch a few species-extending eggs, while, in the background, the swallow-tailed gulls, aqua iguanas and fur seals frolic.
So, was I right, or was I right? Is “Lonesome George” not a big hunk o’ terrapin you could wrap your scaly legs around. Any serious female Pinta Island Tortoise out there looking to “knock shells” with him should contact him right away. But please… no “fast-ies” need apply.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Yangtze River Dolphin (Baiji)

The baiji is also called Yangtze River Dolphin,is a graceful animal, with a long, narrow and slightly upturned beak and a flexible neck. As opposed to some other freshwater dolphins, like the Indus River dolphin, its eyes are functional, although greatly reduced. Its coloration is bluish-gray to gray above and white to ashy-white below. It weighs 135 - 230 kg (300 - 510 lb) and measures as much as 2.5 m (8.2') in length.
The baiji only occurs in freshwater rivers and lakes. It favors large eddy counter-currents such as are found below meanders; channel convergences; and areas in a river with structure, such as sandbars. In the Yangtze River, the baiji generally lives in the deeper sections, swimming to shallow water only to catch small fish. Any available species of small (less than 6.5 cm (2.5") in width) freshwater fish is eaten. Feeding activity is primarily diurnal.
A group may congregate in the quiet area of an eddy for 5 - 6 hours. At night the baiji often rests in areas of very slow current. Several underwater acoustic signals are apparently used for communication and echolocation. Baijis generally live in small groups of 3 - 4 animals, which may come together to make up a larger social unit of 9 - 16 dolphins.
The distribution of the baiji originally included not only the lower and middle reaches of the Yangtze River down to the river’s mouth, but also the Qiantang and Fuchun Rivers and Dongting and Poyang Lakes. It no longer occurs in the lakes or branches of the Yangtze but only in the mainstem, and the extent of its distribution is significantly reduced. The baiji is considered the most endangered cetacean, and its prospects for survival are extremely doubtful.
Deaths from entanglement in or electrocution by fishing gear, collisions with vessels, blasting for channel maintenance, and illegal harvesting of the baiji are at least partially responsible for the decline of its range and abundance. In addition, the damming of tributaries, drainage for land "reclamation," dredging, depletion of the baiji's prey by over-fishing, and noise and congestion caused by vessel traffic in the river have substantially degraded the Yangtze's environment. The Three Gorges Dam will produce further stress on the baiji population by altering the Yangtze's hydrological regime. The baiji generally occurs in large eddy counter-currents which are expected to be eliminated for approximately 200 km (120 mi) downstream by the water released below the dam.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Golden Tabby Tiger

  Golden Tigers are the result of crossbreeding between white tigers and tiger coloring common make best pet. This happens when the recessive gene for the pigmentation of hair.
Remember genetics? Then a chance of happening is very small and only has news of this result in captivity because nature is not in the two color variations on the same habitat.
A golden tabby tiger is one with an extremely rare color variation caused by a recessive gene and is currently only found in captive tigers. Like the white tiger, it is a color form and not a separate species. In the case of the golden tiger, this is the wide band gene; while the white tiger is due to the color inhibitor gene. There are currently believed to be fewer than 30 of these rare tigers in the world, but many more carriers of the gene.
Few zoos have bred or exhibited golden tigers and many have no knowledge of the color or its mode of inheritance. It therefore usually appears by accident when breeding orange and white tigers together rather than through planning. As white tigers and heterozygous normal colored tigers are traded and loaned between zoos and circuses for breeding, if they also carry the wide band gene, that gene becomes widespread. When their descendants are mated together, the golden tiger color is passed on to the offspring if both parents are gene carriers. Unless golden tabby cubs are born, the zoos may have no idea that the parents carry that gene.
The first golden tiger cub born in captivity was in 1983 and this came from standard-colored Bengal tigers, both of whom carried the recessive genes for both the golden tiger and white colors. It was born at Dr. Josip Marcan’s Adriatic Animal Attractions in Deland, Florida.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Javan Rhino

  The Javan Rhino is the rarest of the rhino species with 27-44 animals surviving only in Indonesia. The last Javan rhino is believed to have been poached in Vietnam in 2010. In Indonesia, Javan rhinos live only in Java’s Ujung Kulon National Park, where the population appears to have stabilized, largely because they are physically guarded from harm by Rhino Protection Units. The continuation of this protection, combined with establishing a second population elsewhere in Indonesia, provides the best possible hope for the species’ survival.
Current Javan Rhino Numbers and Distribution
There currently are approximately 27-44 Javan rhinos surviving in in one country, Indonesia.
Biology
The Javan Rhino is found only in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park in west Java.
Javan rhinos appear to be more adaptable feeders than other rhino species: in the tropical rain forest where the species now survives, it is a pure browser, but it possibly was a mixed feeder (both browse and grass) in other parts of its historic range where the species is generally believed to have occupied more lowland areas, especially along watercourses.
Longevity is unknown, but Javan rhinos probably live to 30-40 years.
Gestation is unknown but is presumed to be approximately 15-16 months, as in other rhinos. Inter-birth intervals are unknown, but mothers probably give birth to one calf every 1-3 years.
Females reach sexual maturity between 5 and 7 years of age; males mature at approximately 10 years of age.
Javan rhinos are solitary in nature and are rarely seen.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

The Sheath-Tailed Bat of Seychelles

  The Seychelles sheath-tailed bat is one of the world's rarest mammals. The Sheath-tailed bat 'Coleura Seychellensis' is one of only two mammals endemic to the Seychelles; this means that it cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Yet it is possibly the rarest bat in the world with only about 30-100 individuals left in Seychelles.
It is one of the most endangered animals; fewer than 100 are believed to exist in the world. Very little is known about the bat抯 ecology, habitat, roost, and behaviour. It has suffered from habitat deterioration due to the effects of introduced plant species.
    'Coleura Seychellensis' is a sac-winged bat and occurs in the central granitic islands of the Seychelles Islands north of Madagascar. It probably was abundant throughout the Seychelles in the past, but it has declined drastically during the mid to late 20th century and is now extinct on most islands. The reasons for its decline are unknown. It has been suggested that the barn owl, 'Tyto Alba', introduced in 1949, may be responsible and also possibly predation by barn owls, roost disturbance, habitat loss and declines in insect availability resulting from use of pesticides.
In the 1800s it was described as being common on Mah� but declined throughout the 1900s. Today the known roost sites on Praslin and La Digue have all been abandoned. The largest surviving roost is on Silhouette Island where two caves have been located. These caves are part of a single system of passages in a boulder field. Three small roosts on Mah� have been located.
At present it is listed as Critically Endangered by IUCN. It is the 25th EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) species listed by the Zoological Society of London. It is a trigger species for the Alliance For Zero Extinction highlighting the importance of Silhouette Island for the conservation of the species. If urgent conservation measures are not implemented soon, this species will become extinct.
The Silhouette roosts have been monitored by the Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles since 1997 and a study of the roost in 2003 recorded 32 bats. This is the highest count of this species ever recorded in a roost and the low figure is an indication of the precarious status of this bat. A second roost complex was discovered in 2005.
NPTS has installed an infra-red CCTV system into one roost so that monitoring can continue without disturbance to one of the world's rarest and least-known mammals. This is revealing important new information on the behaviour and ecology of this threatened species
This bat feeds on insects at night time using echolocation calls to detect objects and navigate. Its biology is mostly unknown. The bat echo locates at frequencies of 32-40kHz when commuting and feeding outside the cave, and at much lower, audible frequencies (15-20kHz) within the cave.
The weight of the bats averages about 11.1 g for parous females and 10.2g in adult males with a forearm length of about 55.6 and 53.9 respectively
Bats in the genus Coleura usually do not roost upside down but generally crawl into caves and houses, in crevices and cracks and press their undersides flat against stone walls. In the 1860's, it was reported to fly around clumps of bamboo towards twilight, and in the daytime to be found roosting in the clefts of the mountainside facing the sea and with a more or less northern aspect. These hiding places were generally covered over with the large fronds of endemic palms. It is insectivorous and colonies of bats are apparently divided into harem groups.
It lives in both the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Biodiversity Hotspot (Cons. Intl. 2005) and the Seychelles and Mascarene Islands Forests Global 200 Ecoregion. (Olson & Dinerstein 1998, Olson & Dinerstein 1999)
The name "sheath-tailed" refers to the juxtaposition of the tail and the membrane that stretches between the hind legs, whereby the last half of the tail protrudes free from the membrane. By adjustment of the hind legs in flight, the membrane can be lengthened or shortened as it slips over the tail, giving these bats precise manoeuvrability in flight. They utilize acrobatic flight as they fly within the under story of the rain forest hunting both airborne and foliage-clinging insects. (Bonaccorso 1998)
It has been the focus of recent intensive research which has determined that it is a species associated with small clearings in forests where it feeds on a wide variety of insect species. Observations of coastal or marsh feeding are thought to be bats that have been forced into feeding in unusual situations due to habitat deterioration. Although the species is not a specialist and has a high reproductive potential it is very vulnerable to disturbance and requires several roost sites within healthy habitat.
The birth season occurs during the November - December rainy season.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat

  The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat is a marsupial with a backward facing pouch. The curious name comes from its distinctive muzzle which is covered with short brown hairs. It is strong and heavily built, with short, powerful legs and strong claws that are used to dig burrows or search for suitable plants to eat. Its fur is soft, silky, and mainly brown, mottled with grey, fawn and black. It has a broad head, and the ears are long and slightly pointed with tufts of white hair on the edges.
Like most marsupials, the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat is active at night, usually at dawn or dusk. Although mostly solitary, wombats often share burrows. Each burrow has several entrances and contains moist air which stays at a constant temperature throughout the year. The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat eats native and introduced grasses and stays close to one of its many burrows. The wombat's teeth never stop growing, allowing it to grind its food even when old.
The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat gives birth to one young during the wet season (November - April). The young stay in the mothers pouch for eight to nine months. They leave their mother at about 15 months.
The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat once occurred near Deniliquin (New South Wales), on the Moonie River near St George (southern Queensland) and at Epping Forest near Clermont (central Queensland). Fossil records from New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland show that they lived over a larger area, but probably not in high numbers. The last known colony of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats is now restricted to 300 ha in Epping Forest National Park in central Queensland. The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat occurs along an ancient water course in the park where the soil is sandy and dry.
Their feeding areas contain native grasses, scattered eucalypts and acacias, and patches of scrub.
The wombats live in groups of large burrows usually located near trees.
Habitat loss and change, drought and competition with cattle, sheep and rabbits for food have contributed to the decline of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Epping Forest National Park is now fenced to keep out cattle and sheep and will be fenced during 2002 to exclude dingoes which killed 10 northern hairy-nosed wombats during 2000-01. Introduced buffel grass, planted in the area for cattle feed, outcompetes the native grasses and forces the wombats to travel further to find the native species they prefer to eat. The small population of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats that remains is susceptible to predation, fire and inbreeding.
Epping Forest National Park was established in 1971 to protect the habitat of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat. Access into the Park is restricted to researchers and park managers. The park is protected from wildfires by fire breaks and patch burning of small areas. After the removal of cattle in 1982, wombat numbers increased from 35 to about 70 in 1989. Numbers remained steady during a major drought which spanned the first half of the 1990's. After several good years of rainfall, the population has increased to 110.
Programs to control buffel grass and improve the supply of native grasses are helping the wombats to move into other suitable habitats in the park. Management of Epping Forest National Park and ongoing research on the ecology of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat also contribute to the long term conservation of this species. As well, a captive breeding program on the Southern Hairy-nosed Wombat is currently under way. If this proves successful, it is hoped the techniques developed can be applied to the captive breeding of Northern Hairy-nosed Wombats.

Monday, October 31, 2011

Red Wolf

The Red Wolf is a cousin to the Gray Wolf. The Red Wolf was actually deemed extinct in the wild in 1980. There were, luckily, some Red Wolves were still in captivity, twenty to be exact. Wildlife conservationists increased the number of Red Wolves in captivity to 207, and today there are about 100 living in the wild. A success story, yes, but the factors that caused the Red Wolf to become so endangered are still present today, in that their hunting ground has been severely depleted. Luckily there are wildlife preserves that allow these wolves to live in their natural habitat, though protected from urban sprawl.
It is estimated that red wolves live four years in the wild and up to 14 years in captivity.
Red wolves have several coat colors including black, brown, gray, and yellow. The reddish coats for which they are named was typical of some Texan populations.
As medium-sized canids, red wolves are smaller and more slender than their gray wolf cousins, but larger than coyotes. Adult males weigh 60 to 80 pounds. Females are smaller and weigh 40 to 60 pounds.
Red wolves prefer to live in forests, swamps and coastal prairies. Dens are often located in hollow trees, stream banks and sand knolls.
The red wolf's diet consists primarily of small mammals such as rabbits and rodents but also includes insects, berries and occasionally deer. Shy and secretive, red wolves hunt alone or in small family packs. The red wolf is primarily nocturnal (active at night).
Historically, red wolves ranged throughout the southeastern United States from Pennsylvania to Florida and as far west as Texas. Today, only a few wolves roam free in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and nearby Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in North Carolina.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

A rare animal called Sao Tome Shrew

The Sao Tome Shrew is on the Critically Endangered list because not only are there few left, their habitat is progressively declining. The population continues to decrease, making these animals rare. Found only Sao Tome Island, a small island that is actually a shield volcano that rises out of the Atlantic Ocean. These little shrews are only about 3 inches long, and have white teeth (other than the standard yellow) and light bellies.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Rare animal-Okapi

Is it a giraffe? Is it a zebra? Is it a ziraffe? A gebra? It’s an Okapi! Ever heard of it? Apparently, the Okapi’s history reaches back to ancient Egypt, where carvings have since been found. In Europe and Africa, prior to the 20th century, there existed legends of an “African unicorn.” Today, that animal is thought to be the Okapi. In 1887, Henry Morton Stanley reported on a type of donkey in the Congo named an “Atti.” Today, THAT animal is thought to be the Okapi as well. Scientists, zoologists, and scholars know a lot more about the animal today. For instance, the fact that it is related to the giraffe, despite it’s zebra-like markings, and the fact that the species Okapia johnstoni is considered a “living fossil,” a creature who seems to be the same species as it’s ancient fossils and has no close living relatives (I guess the giraffe is a VERY distant cousin). There are about 10,000-20,000 alive in the wild, but since this dude is sooooo vintage, he goes on the list.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Tarsiers

Tarsiers are found only in the islands of Southeast Asia. Since Southeast Asia encompasses a wide range of islands – Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and more, that might not seem like these little guys are so rare. When you think about the fact that they used to live in many more regions, it sort of puts in in perspective. They mostly live in Borneo. These little primates are only 4-6 inches tall, but their hind legs are twice the length of their torso. Additionally, their eyes are each the size of their brains. What else makes these adorable little primates so rare? They are the only primates who are completely carnivorous – insectivorous to be exact. They stalk bugs and jump at them. They also eat small animals like birds, bats, lizards, and snakes. Tarsiers are considered Critically Endangered and will likely be on that list for some time. They are, thus far, impossible to breed in captivity.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Peccary and Piglet


A collared peccary and her very young piglet get their photo taken as they pause for a rest in a remote area of northeastern Peru on August 18, 2008.
In addition to counting species and estimating population numbers, camera-trap photos provide scientists with unusual insights into animal behavior, such when different species reproduce.
For instance, scientists could estimate the age of the piglet in this photo and figure out when peccaries usually birth, Kolowski pointed out.
The zoo researcher hopes the Peruvian Amazon Biodiversity Project will allow "people to see the huge diversity of animals that live in the Amazon," as well as make the public aware of some of the threats, such as hunting and habitat loss, that exist for these rare creatures.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Hairy Nosed Wombat

There are two or three species of Hairy nosed wombats, depending on how they're classified. There are only two living species, the Southern Hairy nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus latifrons), and the Northern Hairy nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii).
 There seems to be some dispute as to whether the average Hairy-nosed wombat is smaller or larger than the average Common or Bare-nosed wombat. Northern hairy nosed wombats tend to be larger than Southern hairy nosed wombats. When full-grown, head and body length is 75 to 102 cm (29 to 40 inches), with a tail of 2.5 to 6 cm (1 to 2.4 inches). Weight ranges from 18 to 40 kg (40 to 88 pounds).
As might be expected, the Hairy-nosed wombat's nose is hairy--covered with fur. This fur is soft and short, usually white or brown. The nose itself is soft and somewhat like a pig's. The fur that covers the wombat's body is fine and silky, softer than the Bare-nosed wombat's, and has a well-developed underfur.
Coloration is silver-grey, black, or brown. The brown can vary from very dark to very light, and possible even white on occasion. The color variations of the Northern hairy-nosed wombat seems to be wider than that of its Southern cousin. The fur often has light or dark patches or is streaked. The neck and underbelly are usually white or grey. Like the Bare-nosed wombat, the Hairy-nosed wombat's true color is often masked by the color of the dirt in which they've been digging.
The Hairy nosed wombat's head is more angular, and nose much broader, than the Bare-nosed wombat's. The Hairy nosed wombat's ears are larger, longer, and more pointed. Additionally, the back is not as sloped as a Bare-nosed wombat.
The upper lip of a Hairy-nosed wombat is cleft which allows them to eat vegetation very close to the ground.

Together with researchers of bears

Industrial chemicals are being transported from the industrialized world to the Arctic via air and sea currents. Here, the cocktail of environmental toxins is absorbed by the sea's food chains, of which the polar bear is the top predator.

Together with researchers from LIFE -- the Faculty of Life Sciences and Aarhus University, Christian Sonne has undertaken the first meta study of ten years of research conducted up until 2010 into the effects of contaminants on the health of the species. At the same time, he has analysed tissue and bone samples from about 100 east Greenlandic polar bears.

Christian Sonne and his colleagues from LIFE -- the Faculty of Life Sciences have previously conducted controlled experiments on the effects of environmental toxins on Arctic foxes and Greenlandic sled dogs. Both species top the Arctic food chain and are genetically and developmentally closely related to the polar bear.

The experiments showed that the damage seen in the polar bears was also evident in the groups of Arctic foxes and dogs which were fed environmental toxins, but not in the control groups.
The accumulated industrial chemicals cause diseases in the polar bears which do not lead to their immediate deaths. On the other hand, the toxins damage the bones and organs of the polar bears, their immune systems and not least their reproductive systems. However, the harm suffered by the population of polar bears in eastern Greenland is not yet fully understood," says Christian Sonne.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Oldest Fossil Rodents in South America Discovered

The remains -- teeth -- showed these mouse- and rat-size animals are most closely related to African rodents, confirming the hypothesis that early rodents of South America had origins in Africa, said Darin Croft, an anatomy professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and member of the research team.

This discovery supports the contention that rodents landed in the north and spread south. The rodents are from the suborder Caviomorpha, the group that includes living rodents such as guinea pigs, chinchillas, and New World porcupines. The oldest fossils from this group are only about 32 million years old in central Chile and about 30 million years old in Patagonia, Argentina,. Taken all together, the pattern contradicts the theory of a northward expansion deduced from the fossil record 20 years ago.Kummel mentions fossils along the Ucayali, a major tributary of the Amazon, but the team found no evidence that anyone had investigated them.
During three trips from 2008 to 2010, Antoine's group found the fossils in a portion of the riverbank exposed when the water level is low.The geology along the river showed that layers of rock, including the fossil layer, had been pushed up in a rainbow-shaped fold, called an anticline.

The layers that had once been above or below the fossils turned from horizontal to nearly vertical. Instead of digging down to the past, the scientists walked downstream from the fossil layer to go back in time, upstream to go forward in time.Ash found among silt particles 47 meters forward in time was dated at 41 million years ago using argon-argon radioactive dating, providing the minimum age of the fossils.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Natural and artificial selection were not expected to act on similar classes of genes

With more than 400 distinct breeds, dogs come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, fur-styles, and temperaments. The curly-haired toy poodle, small enough to sit in a teacup, barely looks or acts like the smooth-coated Great Dane tall enough to peer like a periscope out of a car's sunroof. Not so apparent are breed differences in how the dogs' bodies function and their susceptibility to various diseases. Although domestication of dogs began over 14,000 years ago, according to Dr. Joshua Akey, University of Washington (UW) assistant professor of genome sciences, the spectacular diversity among breeds is thought to have originated during the past few centuries through intense artificial selection of and strict breeding for desired characteristics.

Akey is the lead author of the effort to map canine genome regions that show signs of recent selection and that contain genes that are prime candidates for further investigation. Those genes are being examined for their possible roles in the most conspicuous variations among dog breeds: size, coat color and texture, behavior, physiology, and skeleton structure.The researchers performed the largest genome-wide scan to date for targets of selection in purebred dogs. The genomes came from 275 unrelated dogs representing 10 breeds that were very unlike each other. The breeds were: Beagle, Border Collie, Brittany, Dachshund, German Shepherd, Greyhound, Jack Russell Terrier, Labrador Retriever, Shar-Pei, and Standard Poodle.The study was conducted, the researchers said, because the canine genome, the product of centuries of strong selection, contains many important lessons about the genetic architecture of physical and behavioral variations and the mechanisms of rapid, short-term evolution.

The findings, the researchers said, "provide a detailed glimpse into the genetic legacy of centuries of breeding practices." The 155 regions of the genome that appear to have been influenced by selective breeding contain 1,630 known or predicted protein-coding genes. The researchers tried to obtain a broad overview of the molecular functions of these genes. The were surprised to discover that genes involved in immunity and defense were overrepresented in the 155 regions, a phenomenon also discovered in genome analysis of selection in natural populations. Natural and artificial selection were not expected to act on similar classes of genes, the researchers noted, but immune-related genes may be frequent targets of selection because of their critical role in defending against ever-changing infections.

The researchers honed in on a particular genome region in the Shar-Pei. Many of these dogs have excessive wrinkles, but some are smooth. The degree of skin folding correlates with levels of certain molecules whose production may be governed by a gene in this region. Rare mutations in this same gene also cause severe skin wrinkling in people. Tiny genetic variations in this gene seemed linked to whether a Shar-Pei would be smooth or wrinkled, and a rare genetic mutation was found in the Shar-Pei but not in other dogs.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Yorkshire terrier Dog

Jack, a 12-year-old Yorkshire terrier, was lethargic and gasping for air when he arrived at the University of Missouri Veterinary Hospital. His tongue and gums were a bluish-purple. But, just one day following an innovative procedure, Jack bounced back to his former youthful exuberance. Jack was suffering from tracheal collapse. Tracheal collapse occurs when the cartilage comprising the c-shaped rings of the trachea collapse, leaving dogs to breathe through a trachea that resembles a narrowed or closed straw.

Standard treatment involves medical management with lifestyle changes and drugs aimed at minimizing the consequences of a smaller airway. For many dogs, medical management ultimately ceases to work."This condition is very common in toy breeds, but not all dogs with this condition have such severe symptoms," Reinero said. "We start with medical management, but because this is a degenerative disease, further measures aresometimes necessary. The procedure that Jack received is generally considered a last-ditch effort. It takes a great deal of planning and precision. But its success can be seen -- and heard -- almost immediately."

The life-giving treatment Jack received was performed at the MU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the only facility in Missouri known to offer the particular procedure that allowed Jack to breathe again so quickly. The MU College of Veterinary Medicine's success in the placement of these stents can be attributed to the teaching hospital's high-tech equipment and a full team of skilled veterinary medicine specialists, including board certified internists, anesthesiologists, radiologists and veterinary students."

When Jack first came to us, he was wheezing and coughing, and we had to carry him around because of his condition," said Heather Wise, a fourth-year veterinary medical student. "At his follow up, we didn't even hear him coming down the hall for his appointment."Jack's two-week follow-up examination showed remarkable results. The team found that his oral membranes had returned to a healthy pink color and his tracheal and lung sounds were normal. The radiographs show the tracheal areas once absent of air are now propped fully open with the stent.

Friday, October 7, 2011

New York Natural Heritage Program

These comprehensive factsheets about individual rare species and natural community types are designed to help land managers, decision-makers, planners, scientists, consultants, students, and the interested public better understand the biodiversity that characterizes New York. Conservation Guides include information on biology, identification, habitat, distribution, conservation, and management. Guides for many of New York's rare species and natural community types have been completed and are updated periodically, and more are continually being added to the Guides website. Follow the link provided in the box at the right of this page entitled NYNHP Conservation Guides.

Environmental Resource Mapper - This interactive mapping application can show you the general areas where rare animals, rare plants, and rare and significant natural communities (such as forests, wetlands, and other habitat types) have been documented by the NY Natural Heritage Program. The Environmental Resource Mapper also displays locations of New York regulated freshwater wetlands and of protected streams, rivers, and lakes. These maps are intended as one source of information for landowners, land managers, citizens, local officials, and project sponsors engaged in land use decision making, conservation, or environmental assessment.

The NY Natural Heritage Program actively surveys rare animal species of all vertebrate groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish) and selected rare species from the invertebrate groups of butterflies and moths, beetles, dragonflies and damselflies, mayflies, and freshwater bivalve mollusks. In addition, the program collects data on significant animal concentration areas including bat hibernacula; anadromous fish; waterfowl; raptors; and nesting areas of terns, herons, and gulls.

This map shows the currently known distribution of rare animals in New York. As no comprehensive surveys of the state have been conducted, there are surely more rare animal populations than are shown.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Two fishermen found a leatherback


The front-right flipper was damaged due to the entanglement, however it was indeed functional and our surgeon, Dr. Doug Mader, was able to save the flipper. The front-left flipper however, was entirely absent and was treated as an amputation. The second challenge was to find an appropriate tank to house the 600-pound turtle. The Hospital was only two days from completing the construction of two brand-new 30,000 gallon emergency tanks when Schaft arrived. Either of which would have been perfect. Leatherbacks, being pelagic swimmers, require very large tanks, so large in fact, that very few leatherbacks have ever been successfully rehabilitated in captivity.The Turtle Hospital recently admitted our first leatherback sea turtle to the facility.

The giant leatherback maxed-out our scale; weighing in at over 600 pounds and nearly 7 feet long. He was by far the largest patient the hospital has ever treated. Two fishermen found the leatherback with it’s right-front flipper entangled in the buoy line of a lobster trap. Sharks were spotted circling the turtle as the fishermen approached, and they noticed it was missing it’s left-front flipper entirely. Upon realizing this very rare animal required urgent care, they called the Turtle Hospital. The fishermen protected the turtle in it’s inescapably perilous condition until staff arrived to help heave the massive creature into the boat.The leatherback sea turtle is a pelagic swimmer, which means it is usually found only in deep, open water – usually beyond the continental shelf.

The waters of the Florida Keys are relatively shallow and are only rarely frequented by leatherbacks. Schaft the leatherback came in on Sue’s last day at the Turtle Hospital. Sue is now applying the knowledge and experience she gained here at the Turtle Hospital to a new venture.The first challenge was to address the animal’s injuries.  Without the ideal tank, we enlisted the help of our friends at The Dolphin Research Center about 10 miles north on Grassy Key. Once there, we placed Schaft into a very large pool with the aid of a forklift. Once gently placed into the massive tank, Schaft was monitored on 24-hour watch.

The huge Wels catfish

Unlike traditional behavior seen in schools of fish, the catfish in the aggregations did not all point in the same direction and sometimes came into contact with their neighbors. Researchers were not able to determine the reason for this behavior, though they ruled out reproduction, foraging, and safety from predators. Many different types of animals come together to form vast groups -- insect swarms, mammal herds, or bird flocks, for example. Researchers in France added another example to the list, reported October 5 in the online journal PLoS ONE: the huge Wels catfish, the world's third largest and Europe's largest fresh-water fish. Researchers observed these fish in the Rhone River from May 2009 to Feb. 2011 and found that they formed dense groups of 15 to 44 individuals, corresponding to an estimated total biomass of up to 1132 kilograms with a biomass density of 14 to 40 kilograms per square meter.

The species originates from Eastern Europe and is not native to the Rhone, so the researchers were curious what effect these large aggregations may have on the local ecosystem. They calculate that the groups of fish could excrete extremely large amount of phosphorus and nitrogen in their waste, creating potentially the highest biogeochemical hotspots reported in freshwater ecosystems.

According to the authors, "our study is unique in identifying unexpected ecological impacts of alien species. Our findings will be ground breaking news for many scientific fields including conservation biology, ecosystem ecology and behavioral ecology and anyone interested in biological invasion and the potential ecological impacts of alien species. Therefore, we believe that our manuscript will stimulate further research and discussion in these fields."

Sunday, October 2, 2011

The damsel in distress may very well

Since there's an ongoing plot, Anime characters actually grow up and may even produce the next generation for the series. Anime fans tend to get into the characters a lot deeper because of the characters' depth and charm. Consider Naruto; viewers see him growing up from an infant to a young powerful ninja, the way he relates to people, the way he learns new techniques, and the way he evolves visually. That is one of the chief reasons for popularities of anime over plain cartoons. For, clarity, the term 'cartoon' in this article shall be referring to the animated programs.

Recently, however, a new term has been coined: Anime. And the distinction between these two has caused much confusion. Strictly speaking though, there should be no distinction between anime and cartoon. Anime is a term used by the Japanese to refer to animated cartoons, from their own country and from others as well.In cartoons, there's a protagonist, an antagonist, and a damsel in distress. Their roles are well-defined and clear and the characters always act according to their roles. In anime, however, the damsel in distress may very well become the antagonist, leaving the protagonist in distress. There's no knowing what to expect in anime. Anime characters, a lot of times, are developed overtime through trials and growth, while cartoon characters remain the same from when the show started. (Of course, there are exceptions such as Spiderman.) 

Somehow, though, the world started using the term anime in reference to Japanese cartoons exclusively. Japanese animation was once called japanimation, but this term was aptly discarded when the term 'Anime' was put into use.Some say that they see absolutely no difference between the two, even going so far as to classify both cartoons and anime as 'childish' because of the nature of how they are presented, much to the woe of anime fans. Technically, there's no official difference and they are somewhat correct. But you only have to watch a single episode of any anime series and you'll see that anime is far more than your usual slapstick comedy man-tripping-on-a-banana-peal early morning cartoons. There is a real and profound difference between the two besides their spellings: Anime is so much more than 'just a cartoon'.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Do you know how wonderful dogs are

We purchase vehicles based on how comfortable and safe they are for our dogs. We sleep on the very edge of our beds and do not get up to pee because we do not want to wake our sleeping dogs. We exercise them, we spend thousands of hours socializing and training them, and we design our vacations around where they want to go. We spend billions of dollars developing medicines and veterinary procedures to make animal lives better, and spend huge sums of money each year on toys and luxury items for pets.

They take their dogs to the vet far more often than they go to the doctor, purchase houses they think will make their dogs happy, and then remodel them with flooring better suited to their dogs comfort. We build ponds and pools and agility fields. No question, dogs are wonderful, and so are most dog owners. In addition to denigrating humans, many of these quotes seem to assign to animals some sort of idealized spiritual status—that they are kinder, gentler, less aggressive, more tolerant, and just all around more wonderful creatures than evil, detestable human beings. I hate to burst the sweet Disney bubble, but animals can be and often are every bit as selfish, hostile, aggressive and cruel as man. They are dogs!



  "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal man has ever made…"
Dog lovers often adorn their emails, websites, and social networking pages with sweet quotations like this one. In general, these quotes are intended to illustrate how much we love dogs, not to be considered seriously. At first glance these quotes are generally sweet and illustrate how wonderful dogs are—how generous, forgiving, and loving.
However, in an effort to exalt dogs, many of these quotes are inaccurate and unintentionally send troublesome messages that have serious negative consequences.  They kill each other for fun, they fight, they eat crap, they eat their own babies, etc. It is great to appreciate and value the wonderful traits of animals, but sentimentalizing these traits and imagining that animals are all wise, benevolent, and enlightened beings is simply not true.
A society that is passing more and more laws to protect sweet, wonderful, innocent animals from the evil of being associated with man. Many lawmakers and average Americans have become persuaded that interaction with humans is BAD for animals. That surely these wonderful creatures deserve a life away from the exploitation and cruelty of humans. They have forgotten how much good we do for our animals, and we need to be very careful that we are not instantiating this skewed perception, and in fact that our statements reinforce what we know to be true.
 

Thursday, September 29, 2011

My Animals Life

Yet here I am, one and a half films and a few commercial shoots into my new career as an independent film and commercial director. There have been so many divergent paths along the way. But as the months go on, I am doing more directing and less ad-guy freelancing, and I have to say, it’s incredible.

So I thought it would be a fun exercise to plot my career path in much more detail than the greatest hits you’ll find on my resume and Linked page. I think it’s a pretty good example that even if you’ve spent most of your life doing one thing, it’s not too late to evolve into something else.
  • 1993: Graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in English/minor in Journalism.
  • 1993: Worked for the Boston Phoenix Personals department in their call center, helping singles write things like: “29 yo man seeks woman for long walks along the Esplanade. Must share passion for leather masks.”
  • 1994: Realized this was not a gateway to more serious journalism. Quit and moved to San Diego without a car or a job.
  • 1994: Became a receptionist at Flowers Group Advertising & Design in San Diego. Published my first ad copy. (A coupon ad for Sea World.)
  • 1995: Homesickness and a desire to pursue copywriting bring me back to Boston. No job, but a clarity of purpose.
  • 1995: Odd jobs at mutual fund companies and call centers as I worked on my spec copywriting portfolio. Most likely interrupted your dinner to sell you an MBNA credit card. Sorry about that.
  • 1996: My first advertising job! The Morrison Agency in Atlanta takes a chance and hires me as a junior copywriter. Start to believe I’m hot shit.
  • 1997: After roughly a year at TMA, I get homesick again and move back to Boston. This time, though, I had a job lined up at Allen & Gerritsen. My account was to be Sybase.
  • 1997: Writing sales sheets for enterprise software was not exactly what I pictured when I got into advertising. Where were the frequent flier miles? The Super Bowl commercials? The stays at Shutters?
  • 1998: Enter the portfolio program at the Creative Circus in Atlanta (my second stint in that city). Even though I was working in the business, I wasn’t doing the kind of work I wanted to do. And my portfolio wasn’t strong enough to get me into the agencies that were. Time to start over.
  • 1999: Graduate from the Creative Circus. Get a job at a Boston-suburb startup agency called the Donovan Group.
  • 2000: Win my first advertising awards.
Right now, I’m on the Boston to New York Megabus on my way to film a commercial for Yahoo! And it got me thinking, “How did I get here?” I mean, two years ago, becoming a director was the last thing I would have imagined. Climb the ladder to creative director? Sure. Own an agency some day? Possibly. But film director? Those were the specialists. The hired guns. That could never be me.
 

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Crisis of birds foods

The study is published online by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and was funded by grants from the French Polar Institute and the U.S. National Science Foundation. "This is the first time anyone has looked at the odor-tracking behavior of individual birds in the wild using remote techniques," said Gabrielle Nevitt, professor of neurobiology, physiology and behavior at UC Davis and an author on the study with UC Davis graduate student Marcel Losekoot of the Bodega Marine Laboratory and Henri Weimerskirch of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France.

Albatrosses nesting on Possession Island in the southwestern Indian Ocean were fitted with GPS receivers that recorded their exact position every 10 seconds and stomach temperature gauges that noted every meal. When the birds returned to land after a foraging trip, the researchers removed the equipment and downloaded the data. Wandering albatrosses fly for thousands of miles across the ocean, usually gliding a few feet above sea level. Floating carrion, especially squid, make up a large part of their diet.

They found that the birds usually flew across the wind, which allows them to cross plumes of scent drifting downwind and is also the best strategy for energy-efficient soaring.Sometimes birds would fly straight to food, but almost half the time an albatross would either turn upwind or zigzag into the wind toward a meal. Both patterns suggest that the birds were following a plume of scent, rather than visual cues. Birds could turn upwind toward a food source several miles away -- well over the visual horizon.

Hunting by scent allows the albatross to cover a strip of ocean several miles wide as it flies crosswind, Nevitt said.Wandering albatrosses and their relatives do not appear to have particularly good eyesight, compared with other predatory birds, and their eyes may be adapted to scan movement on the horizon. That might help them detect other groups of other birds gathered around food.