Pets

* Nitrate control- A nitrate level of 20 ppm or less is best saltwater, 50 ppm or less for FW (you want a Nitrate level of at least 15 ppm for planted FW aquariums). Please note; an average protein skimmer can NOT keep up with the organic waste output of an average stocked marine aquarium, and water changes for organic removal and nitrate control is still necessary in marine aquarium with a protein skimmer (there of coarse are exceptions in a reef aquarium with large amounts of live rock and live sand, heavy plant or green algae growth, and light animal load- even then added elements need to be replaced in a closed system).

I often have told my customers that Nitrate removal was a ONE (not the only) reason for water changes WITH vacuuming, and it is an important reason. Also as for Nitrates, especially in marine aquariums, removing organic debris before it “cycles” via vacuuming is in my opinion the main focus of nitrate removal via water change.

* Ph and KH control- Maintaining a proper ph (ph levels have a tendency to drop from biological activity), KH is the buffering abilty of the water and that too can decrease. KH is VERY important and a major problem I have seen over the years in my maintenance business when calling on customers who seemed to always have problems with their aquariums and claimed cleaning their aquarium caused their problems, which of coarse is not true. Maintaining a proper KH between cleanings is important. Wonder Shells are one way, arogonite, Calcium polygluconate are others.

* Removal of harmful elements. There are many toxins that can be introduced, airborne or in other ways enter the aquarium that are not easily measured.

* Rinsing of bio-sponges, media, ect in used aquarium water (not tap water). This includes sponge filters, bio balls, ceramic media in canister filters (canister filters need to be cleaned more often than many aquarists think)

* Removal of waste before it can go thru the nitrogen cycle

* Control of algae growth

* All these reasons are based on 27+ years of professional aquarium maintenance with some of the largest accounts in Los Angeles, CA

AQUARIUM CLEANING BASICS

For cleaning your aquarium (freshwater or saltwater) a Gravel Vacuum attached to a siphon or recirculating filter works best. If you have a planted aquarium, I recommend #00 sand (3-5 cm) mixed with laterite or conditioned soil with #3 gravel (2-3 cm) on top. You should NOT vacuum the sand, as this will tend to be sucked all the way thru the vacuum, and this will also disturb the natural aerobic and anaerobic filtration going on in the substrate being performed by the bacteria and plant roots.

A new device that performs both water removal and recirculation thru a micron filter cartridge that is easily cleaned is the Aquarium Cleaning Machine. This new device uses a protected mag drive motor to remove or recirculate your water thru a filter (or both). For saltwater changes, this device is a money saver and fish saver. You can change 20% of your water, then keep refiltering it thru the micron cartridge using the gravel vacuum do pick up debris. This saves having to use more salt for larger water changes and keeps a healthier aquarium with lower nitrates, as much of the debris is removed from your system before it can go thru the nitrogen cycle (adding to the Nitrate levels).

Most people do not know how to treat their pets when their pets needs them most. Surprisingly, alot of people do not even have the education or knowledge on how to care for their pets. The pet’s life might be endangered if the owner do not has the knowledge. For example: If pets suffers from the aches and pains of old age and arthritis or it swallows household poison like chocolate, do the owners know how to deal with it? Most of the time the answer is “NO” as they are cluless on what to do next. So the next best action that a owner can do is to educate themselves better on how to care for their pets.

If you have the knowledge, you will be able to

– Instantly decide on a course of action for your ailing pet - so you can ease pain and start treatment immediately.

– Easily afford natural and effective remedies regardless of your financial situation so your pet doesn’t have to go without treatment.

– Quickly diagnose your sick or injured pet - so you can instantly know if you can administer care yourself or if you should seed medical help immediately.

– Immediately begin regimens that have been proven to halt and or prevent diseases such as cancer and diabetes - so your pet can live a long and healthy life with you.

If the owner has very little knowledge and they are too dependent on vet as vet is the owner’s only option , the pet will suffer because sometimes per owners

– Delay bringing their pet in for treatment because the pet becomes ill after hours

– Rely exclusively on harsh drug treatments because they (and their vets) are unaware of effective, gentle, natural ways to treat their pet.

– Discontinue treatment for chronic illnesses because it’s complicated or expensive

– Aren’t able to afford an office visit and or follow up treatment.

Most pet owners have no idea how to perform CPR, or even begin to give basic medical care to their pet. But you should know these things, because in some emergencies, you can’t always get to the Vet in time.

And that is why it is so important for everybody who loves and cares for a pets to have the appropriate information. It might even saves your pet’s life one day.

So the questions now is where to get the education and correct information?

You would have to pay hundreds of dollars to assemble enough books to cover all aspects of treatment in this one eBook. Books focusing on dogs, on cats, on behavior problems, chronic illness, and even trauma.

Then, you’d have to find books on herbal remedies - presuming you already know which are safe for dogs and which for cats and which could cause complications (including death).

Add to your cart books on dental health, acupressure, and homeopathy.

So it is very expensive and time consuming. So how? And what can I do? I really love my pet and I want to learn stuffs that can help my pet.

Dr. Andrew Jones who himself is a vet has compile all the informations that owner needs into one e-book at a very affordable price. He has practiced Veterinary Medicine for over a decade. Over the past 12 years he has treated thousands of pets for a variety of problems, and currently own the Nelson Animal Hospital in Nelson BC, Canada.

So if you really want to learn the correct information because you love and care your pet so much, or you want to know more detail, Please click on the link below in the Resource Box to see it.

I am Ryan and I am very interested in pet’s health. So if you want to have more information or resources, go to http://www.graburl.com/x.php?3sn

Click http://www.graburl.com/x.php?3sn to know more.

Cats are becoming increasingly popular as pets these days, and a big question is, how many cats should a family have? For some people, one is more than enough, others have half a dozen or more. Here are some sure- fire ways to know when you’ve reached your limit. You know you have too many cats when:

Your annual cat food bill is more than the combined Gross National Product of Liechtenstein, Andorra, and San Marino.

Your last three cats are named Puss, Kitty-cat, and Hey You.

You and your spouse are sleeping on the floor because there’s no more room in the bed.

The cleaning lady at the vet’s office calls you by your first name.

All your windowsills are occupied.

Your neighbors forget your last name and start referring to you as “you know, the cat people”.

You have to change the vacuum cleaner bags every week.

You’re running out of corners to put litter boxes in.

Even your coffee table has a slip cover.

The most important crop in your garden every year is catnip.

You can’t remember what a house plant looks like.

Flea collars smell good to you.

You actually understand what your cats are saying.

More than half your mail comes from Purina and Friskies.

Every year you get a personally autographed Christmas card from Morris.

Your cat door has been replaced three times.

For Mothers Day last year the kids pooled their money and bought you an electric cat brush.

You thought it was the perfect gift.

Copyright 1998

This article is free to use as long as the byline and this source information is included.

One of the best ways to keep your German Shepherd healthy is by training them. This breed is well-known for its intelligence and hard work so it is easier to train them unlike poodles or pugs. Not only does training your German shepherd keep it healthy but it also allows your dog to attain its full potential as a great companion and family member. This article will give some ideas what you should train your German shepherd.

Train them as early as you can

You can not teach an old dog new tricks, that is why it is best to train your dog as early as possible. The recommended age for a German shepherd to start training is around four months onwards. As young puppies, these dogs are usually rowdy and may easily create a mess in your home. So it is always a good idea to enroll your pet in a dog club where professional trainers can train your dog not to make a huge mess in your home. Not only do these clubs discipline your dogs, they also make them socialize with other dogs.

Keep them tidy and neat

Training your dog to be regularly groomed is also important. German shepherds usually shed huge amounts of hair. Getting your dog used to being groomed can relieve you of the stress of chasing him all around the house or yard to simply get him cleaned up. Though you may get to groom your dog at a regular basis, it is also best to keep a good vacuum cleaner in order to get rid of scattered hair.

Training your dog can be very fun and exciting and it should be done everyday. This will lead to a better companionship between you and your dog.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of cats and kittens are destroyed because they are unwanted. Animal shelters that take in these animals and try to find them homes are overcrowded. With so many animals in need, they cannot support all animals indefinitely. The solution is not to open more shelters, but for cat owners to become more responsible about spaying and neutering their pets.

A female cat can have two litters of kittens each year. The average survival rate is about 2.8 kittens per litter. If her offspring are not spayed or neutered, the result is 12 cats the first year, 66 cats in the second year, and at the end of ten years, the total would be 80,399,780 cats.

“Spay” is the term used for the surgical removal of a female animal’s uterus and ovaries. When a male’s testicles are removed, it is called “neutering.” Both procedures leave the animals unable to reproduce. Besides preventing unwanted pregnancies, spaying and neutering of pets has other benefits for cats and their owners.

Benefits of neutering a male cat

* Neutered cats are less likely to spray strong urine

* Neutered cats will lose the urge to fight

* Neutered cats will be less likely to try to escape

* Neutered cats will not suffer the abscesses from fighting

* Neutered cats will be less likely to contract diseases such as FeLV and FIV

* Neutered cats will not be subject to testicular cancer

* Neutered cats will not likely develop “stud tail,” caused by overactive glands in the tail

* Neutered cats have a decreased risk of mammary cancer

Spaying a female cat prevents mating behaviors such as fighting and yowling/hyperactivity in females. Spayed cats don’t roam the neighborhood as much, protecting them from the dangers of vehicles and aggressive dogs. Their tendency to stay closer to home also provides protection against deadly diseases such as FeLV and FIV. Finally, “fixed” pets tend to be more loving, because they are not subject to the erratic effects of hormones.

One of the biggest benefits of spaying/neutering is that it dramatically reduces the cat’s risk of developing cancers of the reproductive system. A female cat spayed before her first cycle, or heat, has a greatly reduced chance of mammary cancer. Less than a decade ago, conventional wisdom dictated that pets should be neutered at between 5-7 months of age. Recent studies have found that it is not only possible to spay/neuter cats at a younger age, it actually is better for them. Today, cats undergo spay/neuter procedures at about 7 weeks of age. They recover much more quickly than if it was done later, and ensures that a female does not become pregnant with her first heat.

In the past spaying was limited for a number of reasons

* It was better to let a female cat give birth to one litter of kittens before spaying.

* That female cats in particular, might later develop incontinence as a result.

* That certain behavioral problems might result.

However, these theories have since been disproven.

In the past, animal shelters and humane societies sent unaltered cats/kittens to their new home because they wanted them to start their new life as soon as possible. Usually, owners signed documents promising to have the animal neutered. Some facilities took it upon themselves to follow up with phone calls to make sure the owners were living up to their commitment. The overwhelming number of animals coming and going in a shelter today makes this unfeasible. Instead of allowing their charges to add to the overpopulation problem, most animal welfare/adoption groups routinely spay and neuter animals before they are made available for adoption. A number of municipalities have passed laws so that no animal can leave a shelter unless it has been spayed/neutered.

A ferret can be a fun pet that will provide you with hours of amusement. If you are thinking about adopting a ferret, you should take the time to learn about their needs. You will need to buy a few things to get you started including a proper cage, adequate ferret foods, vitamins and toys. You should make sure to get your ferret to the vet within the first few weeks and each year after that. Here’s some tips on making sure you have the perfect setup for your new pet.

Cage

A cage is not something that the ferret should stay in all the time. The ferret needs to get his exercise and will become quite unfriendly if locked up all the time. The cage itself should not be smaller than two feet by two feet by two feet. This will allow for enough room for the ferret to move about. The ferret can be kept in a cage that is this large for at least eight hours. If you plan to get a smaller cage, insure that the ferret will be able to get out and about during the daytime hours and that the cage is only used at night time.

Food

Ferrets require a specific mix of nutrients and their foods can be expensive. But, the thing to remember is that the ferret will generally eat more food if he is not getting the nutrition that he needs. You may actually save your money if you do not purchase the poor quality stuff and give your ferret the food that he needs instead. You can find out how foods compare in quality by just looking at the ingredients in the more expensive foods and the lesser expensive foods. You should also supplement your ferret’s diet with a multi vitamin.

Toys

Ferret toys should be provided for your ferret. If you have one of these adorable and curious little creatures, part of your job of keeping them healthy and happy is to give them lots of things to play with. For those that are looking for something to do with their pet, consider provide toys that are designed for a kitten or even larger, adult cat toys. Really, these can be more affordable to purchase and easier to find than specific ferret toys. They will provide your pet with a great time too. Ferrets also love to dig so you might want to invest in a good harness so you can take your pet outside and let him do some digging, otherwise he might focus his attention on your plants!

Vet Care

In order to keep your pet ferret healthy and happy, you need to make sure he gets his yearly checkup as well as take him to the vet if he appears ill. Prompt attention to illness is important as ferrets can go downhill very quickly.

Pet insurance is geared towards helping you to meet your financial goals when your ferret will get sick. Just like any other type of insurance, it can help when you need it the most. For example, if your ferret develops a tumor, you may need to have it removed. For that, you will need to have surgery on your ferret which is quite expensive. Instead of having to make a decision about whether you should take on the expensive debt or risk your ferret’s life, you can use your insurance for the ferret instead. Finding the right pet insurance plan is the key here. To find it, make sure that you look at several companies and what they can offer you.

The Lowchen Dog is actually pronounced “lerv-chun” and means “little lion”. This German name comes from the traditional haircut, in which a ruff is hair is left as a mane on the front part of the dog’s body. A large plume of hair is also left on the end of the tail and all four feet from the pasterns to the base of the foot. Close relatives of the Lowchen are the Maltese, the Bichon, the Bolognese, and the Havanese. The haircut of this breed is said to have developed because this little dog loves to crawl beneath the covers and it is an automatic bed warmer. The clipping of the coat on the back half of the dog’s body provided a place where one could warm their feet more easily! And even today, the Lowchen does indeed crawl beneath the covers with readiness, loving nothing more than to curl up at the feet of its master or mistress.

The breed almost reached the point of extinction in the late 1960s. The pedigrees of today are founded upon a very limited genetic pool from only two families. Much inbreeding was done as a matter of necessity. The bloodline has not suffered from this, in fact this is a breed that is relatively free of genetic disease. This may be due to the large amount of inbreeding. Theory has it that very tight inbreeding if combined with judicious culling will produce healthy progeny. The reason for this is that fatal conditions will of course not be bred, and usually only the fittest offspring will be used for further breeding. These offspring have a higher than normal percentage of “good” genes. In this respect, the father to daughter breedings, and mother to son breedings, which extended the bloodlines of the Lowchen did produce an exceptionally healthy animal. The little dog is also relatively long lived, a lifetime of 17 years or more is not unusual.

The Lowchen is a Toy dog, naturally quite happy and lively. It is even tempered and accepting of strangers. This is a dog which must be with a family, not doing at all well in a kennel situation. The owners of Lowchens have found that it is a constant delight to own one, they are natural clowns and love to perform tricks and delight in playing games. Normally after they are adults they are not destructive, but like all puppies, when young they need to be in a puppy safe environment because they love to investigate.

The Lowchen should be under 13 inches tall. The coat is long and silky, in any combination of colors. If not kept in the lion trim, the coat will grow long and straggly everywhere and is more difficult to keep groomed. Regular brushing is a must because the coat is single in nature and will easily mat, especially when wet. The eyes can be a problem since the hair will grow long and profuse over the eyes. Keeping the hair back with a barrette is desirable for a pet, but not in the show ring. The dog “Freeway” which starred in the American television series “Hart to Hart” is an example of an untrimmed Lowchen.

As dog owners our little companions are an integral part of society and with that bears a serious responsibility. Develop a good neighbor repertoire - not one of a nuisance or menace. You dog, think Retriever, may naturally enjoy digging up someone’s Chem-Lawn© treated yard, chasing other’s pets or having a loud dialogue with the midnight moon. These behaviors although enjoyable for your doggy the neighbors, of course, may not agree. Oh, did I mention your overprotective responses to those same neighbors, “Dogs do, um…bark” ” The grass’ll grow back” “Get a bigger, manlier dog than” all of these sarcastically of course.

However the responsibility is yours to have you dog properly trained. Certainly you don’t want your dog’s behavior to become a point of contention between otherwise compatible neighbors or do you?

Your dog should never be allowed to roam indiscriminately. Confronting the owner of an offending dog can be hard for some, either by fear or not wanting to upset the perpetrator. Lets be honest, no one appreciates canine trespassing. Granted your a dog lover but I’m sure you agree. Don’t allow bad feelings to develop because you have given your dog a free rein. Keep him in “check”, it was your duty to do so. When he was a puppy you subconsciously agreed to those terms and that responsibility still holds true in his adult years.

Truthfully look at the negatives: 1. You put your dog’s life and health at risk every time you allow it a roaming pass. Your pet may attack or be attacked by other animals - wild (think about rabies) or domesticated. Also, the risk of contracting a parasitic disease or eating something you do not approve of actually happening. 2. Chances increase that your dog may be hit or even killed by a car. 3. Or she may simply disappear one day, leaving you to wonder whether it has been abducted, killed or simply feeling unloved thus running away. Sadly, these are common occurrences.

Listened it’s O.K. to keep your dog outdoors, just consider a fence around your yard as mandatory for his safety and the peaceful ambiance of your neighborhood. Hopefully, if your dog is a barker, your neighbors live a good distance away or a sound proofed home otherwise you’re going to have extremely unhappy neighbors. Breaking the barking habit can be a real problem; consult a trainer to help develop a solution, or the other option is to keep your dog indoors. Certainly, it is unfair to make other people suffer from your overzealous companion.

Remember, barking is both natural for dogs and a learned behavior in certain situations. To correct unwanted barking, you must catch the dog in the act and administer a stern, forceful correction. You cannot correct undesirable behavior unless the dog is actually caught in the act of performing it.

Love your dog as one of your own but keep the peace where you live.

With so many dog treat recipes available, it can be difficult to choose just one recipe to make for your dog. You may find that you are able to locate so many delicious sounding dog treat recipes that you find several that you would like to make. This does not have to be a problem. If you are out of dog treats and only have time to make one batch of delicious dog treats for your dog, try choosing the one that sounds the most appealing and making a batch from that dog treat recipe. You can then choose a day when you will have more time and set aside the dog treat recipes until you can devote more time to making homemade dog treats.

Most dog treat recipes will last for quiet awhile if you store them in an airtight container and some can even be frozen for additional longevity. For this reason, if you find a number of dog treat recipes that you would like to try, there is no reason for you to not make a large quantity of homemade dog treats when you have the time to do so. You can try several different dog treat recipes and mix them together in airtight storage containers to be used one at a time. This will provide your dog with a great deal of variety and will give you the satisfaction of knowing that you have done something wonderful for your dog in terms of providing them with nutritious, homemade treats.

How to stop your Westies barking less is going to depend on what is causing it. If it is happening when you are home, then you can start with some basic obedience commands.

Have him lay down and stay, when he starts to bark or when a situation arises that may cause him to bark. It is hard for a Westie to bark when lying down. If he barks when you are gone, then you need to determine why he is barking. It may be because he sees other animals out of a window or he is bored and is looking for attention. Lastly he is suffering from separation anxiety.

If he is bored you can try a Kong toy, which allows you to put treats inside so he has something to do. You put in different sized treats so it takes him a while to get them out. If you have a neighbor that can walk him if you are gone for several hours, this may help.

If it is due to separation anxiety, it is important to determine what causes the anxiety and then try to correct it, usually with behavior training. You need to teach your Westie to replace the barking with a more appropriate behavior. You can use a head collar with an indoor lead to correct your Westie, by closing its mouth and encouraging him/her to sit and relax.

Keep the Westie sitting until calm…then reward and tell the Westie “Okay.” This only works if you can catch the Westie within the first 30 seconds of the behavior.

Barking At Night. The simple answer is to ignore your Westie. By barking, he is training you to respond. You might have a few noisy nights, but you will be showing it that barking is not productive. Certainly do not respond by shouting or scolding. If you do, the Westie will only know that its barking has been productive by making you shout (bark) as well.

Barking When The Owner Is Out. This is a big problem caused by bad owners. The Westie is a pack animal and wil be a member of the family pack. If it is given the freedom of the home by being allowed to rest on the furniture and sleep in bedrooms, then it will suffer a form of stress when the pack goes off to work because it expects to go with the pack.

When people leave home they should not look, touch or talk to the Westie for about 10 minutes beforehand. The same applies when coming home. Ignore the Westie and have no talking, no patting, and no looking. Nothing. This way, the Westie understands that its barking has not brought the owner back.

If it has been barking while you were away and is rewarded by your attention when you come back, it then thinks it was barking that brought you back to the house.

Barking at the mailman or any kind of regular deliveryman is regarded by your Westie as an intruder. Therefore he barks and is immediately rewarded by the postman going away. He thinks he has frightened off the intruder and done his duty. Talk to your postman and try to get him to cooperate. Tell him you will leave a tit-bit outside the door and ask him to push it through the letterbox before the letters.