Archive for May, 2010

Nearly everyone has looked at a modern aquarium acrylic tank in their lifetime. At a friend’s home, a restaurant, a get together, a local business seeking to be noticeable… a lot of people like to maintain fish tanks, and you can find them almost all around you.

The term ‘aquarium’ in fact originates from the Latin terms ‘Aqua’ meaning water (Shocked? Sure, nor are we) and ‘rium’ which means place or building.

Essentially, it’s really a water building! You will find literally thousands of various kinds of freshwater aquarium acrylic tanks that you can purchase right this moment, and the detailing that can be done isn’t just extensive - it is borderline absurd. You can decide on a simple fish bowl that can be found in a lot of kids houses to a detailed and advanced environment of filtered water, numerous fish, and live vegetation climbing the extra-strength plastic.

The History of the Fish Tank

The present day type of aquarium developed in the 1850’s, but modern-day things have a way of echoing historical items. Even the Sumerians had a means of keeping their fish - they had ponds to help keep wild fish in until they were made into supper. Goldfish and Koi fish were being bred dating back to 2,000 years ago in China, and during the Song dynasty goldfish were kept in ceramic containers. The history is comprehensive, and lengthy! Even in historic Egyptian art, you can see a kind of aquarium - fish were kept in rectangular temple pools, something unique and fascinating and what most of the people don’t think of when they imagine an aquarium in history. Keeping fish as a hobby really picked up following the First World War (Middle to late 1900’s). While you might observe fish tanks at museums and more, modern day lighting and purification let people care for fish in their own home. To make things even easier and cheaper the aquarium acrylic tank was developed within the last 15 years.

As fish keeping started to take even more root in contemporary culture, firms hurried to generate unique and interesting things to put into fish tanks, in addition to looking for more efficient methods to maintain fish healthy, and their water clean. This is actually the major reason that we have numerous choices for us when it comes to aquariums.

You can choose from thousands of different things to really make your set up unique, exciting, and yes, even fun. I recommend that if you are a beginner you might chose an aquarium of acrylic as it is easier to keep and not damage.

Are you searching for cute pet names for your new dog, cat, hamster or other pet ?  If so, keep reading!  Cute pet names are a very common choice among pet owners because let’s face it, what’s cuter than big eyes, wet noses, wagging tails and soft, cuddly balls of fur?

Even though cute names for our human loved ones may cause other people to recoil or do worse (ever seen the “Shmoopy” episode on Seinfeld?), cute dog names, cute cat names and cute pet names for other kinds of pets are totally tolerable .   

Now, I don’t want to get too academic , but the dictionary definition of cute is “attractive in a dainty way”.  Words like “precious”, “sweet”, “little” and “innocent” are also affiliated with the word “cute”.  If you’re ready to search for the ideal cute pet name for your new pet, here are a few practical tips :

1) Look for names with repetition .   Boo Boo, Gigi and Lulu are thought to be cute names, probably because they’re associated with the repetitive manner of ‘baby talk’ (and like pets, babies are way up there on the cute-o-meter).

2) Seek names that end in ‘y’ or ‘ie’.  Virtually any name can be made to sound cute by including the sound ‘y’.  For example , the name Doug doesn’t sound too cute, but Dougie…well, that’s another case .  Alfie, Pinky, Snoopy and Tippy are more examples of cute pet names ending with the ‘y’ sound.   

3) Select names that are affiliated with being small.  Guppy, Baby, Bubbles and Petal are all examples of this.

4) Think food.  You know that expression “cute enough to eat”, well perhaps that’s why Cupcake, Muffin, Cookie, Honey, and Pumpkin are such great cute pet names!

5) Pick terms of endearment.  Many people use names like Angel, Baby and Princess to address their favorite humans, so why not use these names for pets as well ?

There are literally hundreds if not thousands of choices when it comes to finding a cute pet name.  Remember to have fun while you’re searching for the right one – and make sure that it’s something you won’t feel shy to call out in public. Good luck, Shmoopy!

The dog’s skin is the largest organ of the body, yet it has a very limited number of ways in which it responds to trauma. “Hot Spots” or acute moist dermatitis are generally locations on the dog’s skin resulting from the dog’s itching, biting and scratching and may seem to breakout fairly suddenly. A lot of these spots can become rather big and can emerge anywhere on the dog. I see it typically in the spring time when the temperatures are warmer and the humidity is higher. The dogs with the thick undercoat, for example Labradors, golden retrievers and rottweilers are susceptible to getting these kinds of spots on their face and neck. In many cases, areas located at the base of the tail are probably because of fleas due to the fact fleas love to congregate in these places. Quite a few dogs tend to be so allergic to fleas, the bite of one flea is sufficient to trigger the dog to itch all over. Any type of trauma can begin the process which the dog then exacerbates by incessant chewing and licking which often creates a vicious cycle and causes the hot spot to spread.

The dog commonly has bacteria which lives on their skin and as long as the skin is healthy, the microorganisms almost never trigger any problems. However, if something happens, for instance a fleabite, cut or allergic reactions, the dog begins to lick, bite, chew and scratch which disrupts the defensive layer of the skin. As soon as that happens, the microorganisms on the skin, as well as the germs in the mouth, setup housekeeping in the skin. This leads to a fast spreading infection which may be rather painful. The area on the skin is red, raw and seems moist because the wound oozes serum and pus. The hair then mats down over the wound and the infection then spreads beneath the hair.

A trip to the veterinarian is usually warranted. In many cases the fur will have to be clipped away to halt the spread of the infection. Now and again, these hot spots are so painful, the dog may need to be sedated to have the area cleansed and shaved. Antibiotics are given to treat the infection and follow-up antibiotics are sent home. Sprays, ointments and medicated shampoos may also be prescribed to continue treatment at home.. For some dogs, a special collar can be utilized that can help deter the dog from chewing at the spots.

The particular underlying reason for the insult should also be addressed. If fleas are present, then year round flea control might be recommended.(over-the-counter flea control is not recommended) Pollen, food, and other allergens can also precipitate an attack. Sometimes specific diets with essential fatty acids and a novel protein source for example salmon, lamb or venison might be recommended to help heal the skin. Blood and skin tests can be preformed to help identify what the dog is allergic to and special allergy injections or prescription diets is often offered.

Examine your dog daily for itchy spots and use flea control recommended by your veterinarian year round to help prevent hot spots as a result of flea allergies. Regular grooming and brushing can keep mats from developing. If your dog is itching excessively, take him to the veterinarian to address the itching before the infection can progress.

It’s not hard to believe in our society, but obesity among pets is on the rise along with their owners, and not at a slow rate! Just like humans, it comes down the food food you’re giving your family pet… it could be just as bad as you eating a Big Mac.

Major animal food manufacturers tend to use the worst types of food scraps to make their food. This plays a big roll in not only the weight of your small pet, but also the health of your small pet.

There are ways to make sure you keep your pet living a health life at a healthy weight.

Spend a little extra by choosing an all-natural pet food. You would not want to eat a diet filled with pure fat and things that increase your risk of cancer, and you shouldn’t do that to your family pet either.
Don’t keep a food bowl filled and in the cage all day long. They should have a “feeding time”… I know a guy who keeps a full bowl of food in his chinchilla cage and then he wonders why the chinchilla is fat!

Give your pet a workout daily. He needs to exercise too, plus he has been stuck in a cage all day. Let him run around or put him in a running ball.

It’s definitely a good idea to talk to your vet to make sure your pet is getting all the nutrients it needs. Ask if there are any supplments that are recommended as some animals might be getting the short end of the deal when it comes to certain vitamins and minerals.

Following these things will help your pet stay at a healthy weight and stay healthy for the long run.

You’ve brought a dog as a pet, then there is no qualm that you simply are looking ahead to many years of companionship and friendship. Much like us, cats require the correct quantity of care, affection, along with a variety of food. It assists them to maintain and produce healthy teeth, gleaming coat, and powerful bones. Consequently feeding your dog with correct nutrition is extremely essential. At times your cats can be very greedy, so you will need to view their diet plan and provide them using the precise amount of food.
Feeding Your Cat could be messy, so it’s advisable that you simply cover the area with a towel or paper sheets. Throughout the time of feeding you should select a calm environment, it would be great if the doors could be closed. Maintain a damp cloth useful, to ensure that you can wipe your pet cats encounter in the time of giving. It is extremely essential that you ought to feed your dog carefully and slowly, simply because forcing the meals can cause choking.
Much like kids, cats often refuse to accept what is best for them, so it is important that you be affected person and often make alterations within their diet strategy so that they as well enjoy what they’re being provided. Make a regimen of the time you would feed your dog at, this can make things convenient for you as well as for the cat.
Feeding your cat with suitable diet is extremely essential; therefore most from the cat owners choose to provide home ready food to ensure that they get all of the required nutrition. On the other hand should you want to save time, you can opt for canned food. It’s easily accessible in the marketplace and helps in building powerful bones and muscles. Prior to purchasing any dog meals, make sure to go via the ingredients properly. This assists you understand when the packaged meals consists of the correct quantity of essential protein, minerals, and vitamins that your cat demands. You might also opt for the dry dog meals, which is similarly nutritious.
It is very essential to supply a bowl of clean water towards the pet cats regularly. The longer the drinking water stays out the more oxygen it looses also it might also get contaminated. Which means you should keep modifying the water regularly. Water helps can to preserve their optimum kidney wellness so shop the water in a thoroughly clean container that’s very easily reachable. Your dog is normally precious for you, so make sure you feed it well so that it lives a longer and more healthy existence.

Dogs are pack animals. You and your family, and any other pets in the family, are his pack. When everyone leaves for work and school, some dogs get really upset and can become destructive or irritate the neighbors with incessant barking and whining. What can cause this behavior and is there anything that you can do about it?

My Experience

Years ago, I had a dog named Pepper. She was part Australian Sheppard, and was a very sweet dog, although she was also really…ahem….active. I had her for 11 years, and for the first 9, she was a great dog. Even as a pup, she never chewed on furniture, shoes, or clothes. Day after day, everyone left for work and school, and Pepper caused no problems. After 9 years, she suddenly became very destructive. It started when she got left in the basement one day, and it stormed. Being deathly afraid of storms, she wanted to get at her usual hiding place - under a bed. So, she dug her way through the basement/kitchen hollow-core door. I came home to find the poor thing hiding under the bed, and a big hole in the door.

But this was only the beginning. In the next couple of years, Pepper dug through doors, walls, and even the front door. She crashed through windows screens and shredded upholstered furniture. We bought her a large crate, and on her first day inside it, she broke the thick plastic floor lining, and her even-thicker plastic water dish, into shards. She also broke both of her upper eye teeth off at the gum line attempting to chew her way out. We took her to the vet to have her teeth fixed, and I requested some doggy Valium. The vet said that, without getting a doggy psychiatrist’s treatment, doggy Valium only works in about 5% of cases. And even with a psychiatrist, they only work in about 15% of cases. I have since heard better numbers than that, but at that moment, it left us feeling pretty hopeless.

In the last few months that Pepper lived with us, we moved into a big, brand-new home. In the beginning, she seemed as happy as we were with our new digs. But before long, she started her destructiveness again. She chewed on woodwork, shredded the carpet in several places, and destroyed a couple of window screens. We finally came to the heart-breaking decision that we were going to need to find her a new home, before she totally ruined ours. At 11 years old, we weren’t sure that anyone would want her. But we did find her an excellent home, with lots of space to run, and someone who is home for her all day long.

We never could figure out what caused Pepper’s sudden separation anxiety. Looking back, I think it could have started about the time we got a new box springs and mattress. Up till then, Pepper had always slept on the bed - not at the foot of the bed, but right up there on the pillows. It had gotten to the point that if I rolled over onto my stomach or side at night, I would get a mouthful of her shed hair. So when we finally got the new mattresses, I stopped letting Pepper sleep on it. Maybe being alone throughout the day was ok, as long as she got her cuddle time during the night, and all of the destructiveness was her means of letting me know she didn’t appreciate being exiled from sleeping on the bed.

I think Pepper’s case was somewhat unusual, but there are steps that can help with more “normal” cases of separation anxiety. Below are a few things that can help:

Food and Exercise

Give your dog plenty of exercise. An exercised dog is a happy dog, and is also a tired dog. And a full belly is a happy belly. A dog that has been on a nice run and gotten his belly full is more prone to relax and take a nap and sleep much of the day away. Ah, the life of a dog :) And of course, you should also make sure there’s fresh water and food readily available for your canine friend.

Sights, Smells, and Sounds

Leave the TV or maybe a radio on. It can be reassuring for a dog if he can hear human voices. Leave a window open. Dogs like the fresh air plus the outside smells, plus they are able to see and hear people and other animals that happen to be outside. You might have to leave it open only a crack, though, based on your dog’s behavior. Pepper would go right through a screen that was open wide enough.

Something to Do

Leave your dog some favorite toys. It will give him something to do. Toys that both you and your dog have played with, and therefore have your smell on, can reassure. Ropes, nylon bones (not real ones, they might splinter and cause lots of problems or worse), squeaky toys, and balls are good. The dog I have now goes out in the front yard on a 20-foot lead. I’ve seen him play with the lead, as if it were a live person or animal, when there was nothing else to do.

Answering Machines and Web Cams

Set your answering machine to screen calls, so that the caller’s voice can be heard, and call your dog once or twice during the day and let him hear your voice. If at all possible, set up a web cam at home and also at work so you’re able to look in on your pup and find out what he is up to. If he is misbehaving, call the answering machine and reprimand him. If he appears to be getting anxious, call and speak to him in a soothing voice.

Put Your Dog in a Crate

Although it didn’t work with Pepper, it may meet your needs exactly. It may sound mean to confine your dog to this type of small space each day, but it can actually be reassuring to him. A dog often comes to think of his crate as his own familiar “bedroom”. One Fourth of July, when my current dog, Bo, was just a pup, he ventured outside and heard a huge firecracker boom. He ran back inside, cowering. He came out again, and it happened again. His third time out, several loud fireworks went off at the same time, and Bo ran back inside, down the stairs, into his crate, and curled up and hid in there. It was his safe place to go. Crating works best if your dog is used to it, or is raised from a pup using a crate.

Stay Calm

When you leave, and when you first get home, stay calm. Your dog will detect your vibes, and if you become nervous because he is likely to be nervous or upset, your dog will detect it. Make coming and going no big deal.

Interval Training

Go outside for a few seconds, and then come back in. Go out again, and wait a minute or two and then come back in. Vary the amounts of time that you’re gone. Get your dog used to being separated for small amounts of time, and gradually increase the time. Go in or out different doors. Take your keys with you one time, and not another. Go when your dog is looking, and when he’s not. And stay calm. Eventually, your dog is not going to know if you are going to leave for a long or short time. But he will start to recognize that you always come back.

I really hope these pointers will help you and your best friend to live in harmony. Love My Dog Blog would love to hear any stories you have about your dog and separation anxiety, or any other stories about your dog. You can also visit Love My Dog Blog for information and facts, tips, and human dog interest stories.

Every cat owner loves their cat and wants her to stay happy and healthy. Obesity can be a problem for cats and for humans. Heart disease, arthritis, and diabetes are only a few of the serious illnesses your cat can develop by being overweight   . As all cat owners knows, your little sweetie knows precisely howget you do to what he wants for those tasty , though many times fattening, extra little tidbits . How can you look into those big, wide eyes that seem to be begging , PLEASE , and still say no. You can’t ! But what you can do is make surethe treats you are feeding your furry feline is healthy , whether they or fat, slim, young or old. Homemade cat food is easy to make, easy to store or freeze and most of all  your cat will purr!

The pet stores have tons of cat treats, which state how your cat will love them and how healthy they are , and many of these are just as they say they are . However, if you would like to get a little more personal with your cats eating habits, and want to know for sure what they are eating, here are a few tasty, but healthy little cat treats that will them having purring to their hearts content.

If you have ever seen a cat eat grass , then yourealize they also need , a little vegetation in their diet. Some of you might be thinkg about  already be making your little pet it’s  home made meals, one thing you might  beging doing is adding a little cooked rice or  pasta to the meat. Your cat will still love it and you can give them more food but with a lot less the calories.

I don’t usually put recipes in my articles, but this one looked so great I thought you might just want to try it. I know I am. It starts with tuna, a no brainier.  In all my life I have never seen a cat who didn’t just love a nice scrumptious morel of fish. Here is all you need. It will make 12 cat cookie treats.

6 ounce can of tuna
¼ cup water drained from can of tuna
¼ cup cornmeal
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cooked egg white

preheat oven to 350. Combine tuna, egg white and water. Add cornmeal and flour and blend to form a dough. Knead into ball and roll ¼ inch thick. Cut into one inch size pieces and bake for 20 minutes.
That is all there is to it and your little ball of fur will love you for it.

You can find dozens if not hundreds of different home made cat treats on the internet or even from cat food recipe books found at your local pet shop. I can not even begin to print them all, but I did want to let you to know they are not only out there and available, but very healthy for your cat. Jump in and try one. When you see the reaction your cooking gets, it will all be work the little bit of effort.

If you just got a new pet rabbit, the first thing you may want to do is name it!  If you’re lucky, you might already have some wonderful rabbit names in mind, but if you don’t, we have some tips to help you find the perfect one.

First and foremost (and pardon me if this is obvious), you’ll want to know your rabbit’s gender so that you can look for male rabbit names or female rabbit names.  If you are not sure how to tell your rabbit’s sex, take it to a vet and he or she will be able to tell you.  Otherwise, look for gender-neutral names such as Bunny or Peanut, for example.

Second, think of your rabbit’s appearance.  What color is it? Does it have any pronounced features or characteristics? If something stands out, you might  want to use this feature to help you choose a name.  For instance, “Oreo” and “Domino” are two great names for a black and white bunny while “Snowball” and “Q-Tip” would be perfect for a white rabbit.

 If you would like a name that’s a little unique, you could search for names from foreign languages like Japanese, Greek, Native American or Spanish.

 Another possibility is to use your hobbies and interests for inspiration.  For example, if you love gardening, you could name your female rabbit Tulip or Posey.  If you love motorcycles, how about Harley or Motor?  

 Like the tip above, you can use your favorite books, movies or celebrities for inspiration.  There are also many famous rabbits in film and literature that you may want to name your rabbit after.  For example, there’s Thumper from “Bambi”; Bugs Bunny; Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter from the book series by Beatrix Potter; and Roger Rabbit.

 Finally, you may want to look to your rabbit’s personality and eccentricities to help you choose the perfect name.  Whichever idea appeals to you most, remember to have fun and stay creative!

You are a fan of dogs and you go to the nearest pet shop and buy a puppy that is simply adorable. The next step would be to train it. Of course there are many another dog trainers who could do the clean job of directing your puppy once it is old enough to do it. But such trainers can be very costly. Why waste money when you could do the training yourself? There are different types of directing, out of which agility directing is one method.

Agility training requires a personal to have the proper mark of agility dog directing equipment. However, let’s try to understand the concept of agility training before exploring dog directing equipments.

Agility directing instructs your dog to navigate an obstruction course rather successfully without whatsoever help at all. So once the directing cycle is complete, your dog will be obeying your commands rather by nature. If your dog is a Pit Bull, it is all the better as agility directing leaves them the chance to use their soundest potential of utilizing their energy. Agility dog training equipment can be very expensive. This is why numerous house trainers prefer to have their own type of agility dog directing equipment prepared for their dog.

Although there are different types of agility dog training equipment, we can take five pieces as the start for a process. The agility dog directing equipment can be easily made from materials found at your household. They are cheaper and easier to find unlike the actual agility directing supplies.

The first step would be to train the jump for which you would use an equipment. Having two bars placed across in between two verticals will fulfill the standards of the jump. The first bar will actually help the dog jump over it while the second bar will act as a visual aid for it to see the jump.

The weave poles and the tunnel can be included as the second and third types of agility dog training equipment. placing a few poles in a line with spaces in the middle will help your dog move through them. The tunnel is another type of agility dog directing equipment that makes out in the open or pipe kind and also in chute or collapsed tunnel form.

In order to teach about contact obstacles, you could use a dog walk or a seesaw while pause tables are ideal for ending a show by getting your dog to sit in a way that judges can see it. For more information about training dogs, visit this site.

Baby DVDs ~ Baby Educational DVDs ~ Baby Music

Every parent wants their child to start scholarship at the earliest possible stage. Studies have shown that watching stimulating content like baby DVDs and listening to baby music aids in the development of baby’s brain. So, how do you find the Best Baby Einstein DVD’s?

The theatre of operations of study of screen time for infants has become a topic of much debate, one that can be quite confusing. Any parent, but especially new parents, want clarity and the truth about television’s effects.

 In my many years as a UCLA professor and as a child development professional consulting to media producers, I’ve reviewed lots of studies on television effects and very young children. The latest study on infant television viewing, published in the current March-June issue of Pediatrics was configured to answer the following question:

To what extent is watching television before the age of two related to vocabulary development and visual motor skills at age three?
The results of the study of over 800 infants who were followed for 3 years, revealed that infant television viewing (at average or higher than average amounts of time) had a impersonal to no effect on vocabulary development and visual motor ability at age three. Moreover, the study did not distinguish between infant DVDs, commercial message television, pay per view plastic films, or the news.

Whatever television the baby watched was counted. There simmer down were no harmful effects, For example Baby Einstein Mozart DVD is it proven to calm a child and progress to a better understanding of environmnent?.

 

Why is this debate being waged in the news and in magazine articles?
There is naught more crucial in the life of an infant than a fully committed and loving parent. The American Academy of Pediatrics published their 1999 media guidelines that suggested no screen time for infants under two, ensuring that parents would not sacrifice direct interaction with baby for time in front of the TV.

 However, the AAP Guideline is an either/or proposition in a world where most parents firmly believe that both “together time” and screen time can co-exist in a baby’s life.

I decided to work with the Baby Einstein Company because of its commitment to promoting parent-child interaction close to the DVD content and other products.

You can sing and dance with your little one, talk about all the things you see on the DVD, replicate the puppet skits anytime you and baby want to persona a laugh, and even bring the video experience to life with a reinforcing trip to the petting zoo, or the market, and just taking a walk in and around the house In my view Baby Einstein helps with my children..

The Baby Einstein  DVDs not only provide developmentally proportionate entertainment but give parents something to work with for enhancing all the other time they spend with baby of course their are many options and i encourage research, diligence and trial and error.

So what does this all mean for my realism as a parent?
No one brings more to the table of your baby’s development than you. Knowing that screen time is not harmful means you can focus more on content.

Yes, content matters; especially if you want to use the Baby Einstein DVDs to fulfill the greatest benefit. The experience for baby is enriched if you talk about the content, coo, cuddle and in general make an guinea pig of baby’s movie time.

Electronic media are real extensions of the board books, plush toys and mobiles that are basic inventory in an infant’s room. Parents would appreciate less confusion and more supportive research on how to make best use of media in family life. That would be more helpful at this join? than holding fast to the all or nothing point of view.