Horses are wonderful animals and their give their owners so much pleasure and even company at times. So it goes without saying that they need to be looked after and cared for in return as well. Here are some tips to keep your horse happy and healthy regarding their food, shelter and more. Horses must have the right food in the right quantities. Horses love eating just like us. Horses like good pasture, hay or dried pasture and grains and pellets. Pasture is not always rich and nutritious and must be supplemented with other foods. Some supplement of grain or concentrates must also be given with pasture.
Work horses are normally fed hay. Good alfalfa hay is nutritious and is often used for both equestrian and race horses. Good quality hay can practically cover all the horse’s nutritious needs. Always find a reliable provider for the hay. Hay however, does require proper storage.Horses love grains especially oats. Grains are good for them and must be given in measured quantities along with hay after consulting with the vet. Too much grain can make for a fat, lazy horse. Again, an extra ration of concentrates may be given to high performance horses and pregnant and nursing mares.
A well fed horse, not over fed, is a happy and healthy animal. Personally feeding the horse is a good way of bonding with the horse and it will love you for it. Horses need up to ten gallons of water daily, so there must always be plenty of fresh clean water available nearby. In harsh winters, the water must be warm and kept from freezing.In My next post i will let you know more about horse feeding and tips.
Aug 30, 2009 | | Horses
The hamster kept as pet most often is the Golden Hamster, also called Syrian Hamster. So-called Teddybear or Black Bear hamsters are also breeds of golden hamsters. But also four species of smaller hamsters are popular pets, often called dwarf hamsters. These are Roborovski hamster, (Phodopus roborovskii) often called Roborovski, the chinese striped hamster (Cricetulus griseus) and the two subspecies of Phodopus sungorus, the winter white russian dwarf hamster (Phodopus sungorus sungorus) and Campbell’s dwarf hamster (Phodopus sungorus campellii). The care of the dwarf hamsters is similar to that of the golden hamster, but there are differences in feeding and housing needs and temperament. Winter whites and Campell’s are fairly popular, in the US the campells more so than the whinter whites, while it’s other way round in Europe.
Roborovski and Chinese striped Hamsters are somewhat more difficult to breed and keep, they are usually only available from breeders, and therefore limited to serious rodentia fans.
Roborovski are especially not suitable for children. Hamsters are nocturnal by nature, making them less than ideal as pets for people who are normally awake during the day. However, many people prefer them to rats, given rats’ unsavory reputation. Unlike rats, they are not particularly good at learning tricks but can be entertaining to watch. They are also much smaller than guinea pigs, although equally as furry and appealing, so are more appropriate for homes with limited space.
Aug 30, 2009 | | Pets
The mere mention of rabies often bring out pictures of uncontrollable dogs that are known to bite anyone within sight along with the telltale foaming on the mouth.
Transmission – the tricky thing about rabies is that not only canines are susceptible to this virus, human beings are also at risk especially those who closely work with wildlife and even veterinarians. However, a vaccine can provide sufficient protection to both canines and human beings who are more known to be at a higher risk of exposure. Transmission can only be achieved though bites made by an infected animal to a non- infected. However, the remains of a carcass of an infected animal have been known carry the virus within 24 hours and are known to have high virus levels in the saliva.
Symptoms – after contact with virus, the dog goes through several stages. There are some reported cases of bitten dogs that have shown any symptoms but can possibly be a lifelong carrier. The incubation period is between three to eight weeks and shows the following symptoms:
Apprehension and anxiety
Fever Irritability and erratic behavior
Labored breathing
Respiratory failure
Treatment – there are no known treatment rabies and if the virus has reached sever stages, death is imminent even in humans. However post exposure treatment would include one shot of rabies immunoglobulin and five does of rabies vaccines. The immunoglobulin should be administered should be administered within 24- 48 hours from exposure and 5 rabies boosters shots are needed to stimulate production of antibodies to protect the body from the virus, or what is known as maintaining active immunity.
Prevention – vaccination is still the best-known preventive measure for rabies. In the United States, rabies vaccination are mandatory in all states, however, there are only an estimated 50% of the canine population with rabies vaccines.
Aug 28, 2009 | | Dogs
