How to Determine if Your Cat is Sick

Cats are very independent pets. They mostly groom themselves and can also occupy themselves for hours with a toy. It will take a practiced eye to tell if they are sick.

You may think that your cat speaks to you in meows and purrs but it is a foreign language. There is no translation to let you know when they are in pain or not feeling well. So, how will you know if your cat is under the weather?

One way is to pay attention and listen. You are around your pet every day. From the time you get them home with a clean bill of health, take note of their usual behaviors. Vets can give you instruction and literature on normal cat activity and body functioning. Now, you are armed with the tools you need to identify when something is not right with your pet.

Signs of Sickness

For many cat owners, they don’t know that something is wrong until it is too late. This doesn’t have to be the case with you and your cat. Here are some signs that you can be on the lookout for.

1. Appetite – Your cat usually eats all of his food but now he is eating less. It could be that he doesn’t like a new food that you are offering. On the more serious side, he could have a digestive ailment that has changed his appetite. Use this measure. Grasp the skin between your cat’s shoulder blades. If it bounces back into place once you let go then he is well-hydrated. If not, your cat could be dehydrated. Offer him more water to drink each day.
2. Litter box business – This is kind of stinky but you might have to check the litter box droppings if you notice any changes in appetite. Think of it this way – you scoop out the droppings when you clean the litter box anyway. Next time, pay closer attention to the droppings. If your cat is eating more but eliminating less, that is a sign of possible illness. Also, if stools are loose or hard with traces of blood, this is another indicator that something is wrong. Check the color as well.
3. Eyes – The eyes have it. Cats have three lids: upper lid, lower lid and nictitating membrane. It’s much like a lizard where the third membrane comes across the eye and back as the other two close. You don’t normally see it because it closes so fast. If you can see halfway covering the eye, take him to the vet. Notice the normal coloring of your cat’s eyes. Any cloudiness to any area of the eyes could signal ulcers, cataracts or other problems.
4. Coat – Look for bald patches or a dull sheen to the coat. It could signal an allergic reaction, stress in your cat or a flea or other infection.
5. Ears – Take a look. Are they perky as usual? If there is a bluish or yellowish tint to them, it could signify a problem with oxygenation or liver damage.

Is your best friend feeling down? Use these guidelines to determine if you need to raise the alarm or just give your cat a little bit of loving.

Adopting a Rescue Dog

Animals bring something special to your life. If you are looking for a dog why not consider a rescue dog? Here are some things to know about adopting one.

There are advantages to a rescue dog. First, you are saving a life. For whatever reason, this dog has been taken to the pound. Sometimes owners get more than they bargain for but it is their pet that pays the ultimate price.

Second you are giving a dog a loving home. Dogs are some of the most loving creatures on earth. Even if you treat them in an unkind way they will remain loyal, giving you chance after chance to make it right. Abused dogs need someone who will return that love and you are now it.

Third, you are getting a great bargain. It doesn’t cost as much to adopt a shelter dog so you can secure a canine companion without too much of an initial cash layout.

What to Know about a Rescue Dog

It is a good thing to give a home to a dog that needs one, but know what you are getting into before you make that decision. One reason is that you could do the animal more harm than good. Pets that are returned to the shelter over and over don’t have a very long life expectancy there. They are labeled troublesome and usually the first to be put down.

These dogs could have physical problems. The shelter or rescue group will do their best to identify any physical issues resulting from the abuse. But there is a chance that these things won’t show up for months or years to come.

Rescue dogs can have emotional problems. With the cycle of abuse or abandonment, can come a fear of humans. It may take some time to get this under control but you can do it with the help of a dog trainer and some TLC.

You probably won’t get any pedigree papers. These dogs can be of any breed or mix. So, be ready for the unexpected. They might be small now but grow to become a medium or large size dog.

Taking your Dog Home

Allow your new dog to smell and get to know you first. Don’t put fingers through the bars of the cage. Stand to the side, avoiding direct eye contact and then hold your hand in front so they can sniff it at will and see that you are not a threat.

Then, take them for a long walk. This dog has been caged for a long time and needs to burn off some energy. If not, they won’t be able to focus and obey when you get them home. Try walking around your neighborhood so they can become familiar with the area of their new home.

Teach him to heel on the leash from the beginning. Your dog is looking for you to be their pack leader. Don’t allow them to walk in front of you even when exercising. Keep them at your side or behind you, demonstrating that you are the alpha.

It may take a few weeks for your dog to learn their place in the order of your home. Be patient with your rescue animal and you will have a true companion for life.

The World of Reptiles, Amphibians, and Arthropods

World of Reptiles, Amphibians,
and Arthropods
Everything to help you keep reptiles, amphibians, and land invertebrates is contained here!

Herptiles and arthropods have been around for approximately 350 million years!

The World of Reptiles, Amphibians and Arthropods (land invertebrates) includes a diverse group of creatures. They come in all shapes and colors and can live in a variety of habitats. Learning all about them can be fun and interesting as well as informative.

The types of reptiles you will find here include snakes, lizards, turtles, and tortoises. Amphibians include toads, frogs, salamanders and newts. Arthropods, or land invertebrates, include arachnids such as spiders, scorpions, and tarantulas and myriapods such as centipedes and millipedes. All of these species guides include the animals background, behaviors, habitat and care. For identification purposes pictures are included of each as well… Read More

Animal-World’s Featured Animal of the Week: The Jack Rabbit

Animal-World’s Featured Animal for this week is:
The Jack Rabbit!

Photo Wiki Commons
Courtesy user:pschemp
Licensed under Creative Commons ShareAlike 3.0 Unported.

I thought that an appropriate Featured Animal of the Week would be a Jack Rabbit – in the spirit of Easter! Jack Rabbits are not typically kept as pets, however they are widespread in their natural habitats. Many people probably associate a Jack Rabbit with the famous “Tortoise and Hare” tale, where the two animals race against each other. Ultimately the tortoise wins because he is “slow and steady,” whereas the hare uses all his energy up at the beginning of the race. Jack Rabbits are hares, meaning they do not build nests like other rabbits and their babies are born with all of their fur and eyes open. This is not the case with most rabbits. I am going to focus on the Black-tailed Jack Rabbit, scientific name Lepus californicus, because this one is the most common. The Black-tailed Jack Rabbit lives in the deserts of the 4 southwestern states and Northern Mexico. They are quite adaptable and can thrive in areas inhabited by humans as well.

These Jack Rabbits usually have a salt and pepper look with colors of brown and silver and very long brown ears. There is a black stripe going down the tail. Their long ears are to help regulate their temperatures by increasing or decreasing blood flow to them. This is helpful in the desert because of the very hot days and cold nights. They have a lifespan of approximately 1-5 years in the wild (somewhat longer in captivity) and breed prolifically. They usually have four to six litters a year, averaging 2-4 young, or leverets. The mother stops nursing them after 1 month of age. These babies reach sexual maturity by about 8 to 12 months of age and can start breeding soon after this. Males can reach up to 11 pounds and females can reach up to 13 pounds at maturity. Their lengths can reach 28 inches with 5 inch tails.

They have many natural enemies who will prey on them, including coyotes, foxes, hawks, snakes, bobcats, and even human hunters. Jack Rabbits are quite fast, reaching speeds of 36 miles per hour to escape predators. They can also leap about 20 feet into the air. These are just some of the many defensive tactics to help keep themselves safe. They prefer grasslands and large empty areas so they can spot enemies before the enemies spot them. They also spend most of their days crouched down with their ears flat against their backs which helps them to blend in. They mostly are active only at night as well.

Jack Rabbits are herbivores and eat only vegetables, fruits, herbs, grasses, leaves, and shrubs. They eat some of their poop as well, which helps them retain water and get the maximum moisture from their food. In this way they don’t have to drink much water, if any, at all. It is especially helpful in the desert where there often is not much water. Jack Rabbits are considered a problem in agricultural areas because they will snack on many crops and can make huge dents in them. Fences are put up to try and keep them out, however this often does not work and poison is used instead.

Although Jack Rabbits are not kept as pets, if you would like to read more about domestic pet rabbits, check out Animal-World’s World of Pet Rabbits!

Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.

Sources Used

http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org/jackrabbit.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-tailed_jackrabbit

http://www.desertusa.com/july96/du_rabbi.html

Banner Photo
Photo Wiki Commons
Courtesy Jim Harper
Licensed under Creative Commons Share Alike 2.5 Generic.

Feeding your Dog Properly

We may treat our dogs like humans at times but that doesn’t mean that they need to be fed like them. Feeding your dog properly is important to their overall health and well-being. Here are some pointers about feeding them in the right way.

Dogs are not people. They have a different diet and have different nutritional requirements. For instance, dogs are pack animals. They are descended from wolves which are pack animals. In the wild, animals eat what they have in their surroundings and that doesn’t include certain foods that we have at our disposal in the domesticated environment. To understand your dog, take a good look at him or her and learn about their needs versus what we think they should have.

The Puppy Years

It is unwise to take a pup from its mother before it is eight weeks of age. Just like human babies, pups get proper nourishment and immunity from their mother’s milk. Weaning them too soon can lead to health issues.

Puppies need to be fed three or four times a day. After about four weeks this can consist of mother’s milk and also some solid food. After eight weeks, the puppy can eat solid food with very little milk. This begins the weaning period. And, it is safe to take them from their moms when they are more interested in your company than their mother’s.

As the puppy gets older, feed them less frequently, about twice a day. For dogs that are prone to weight problems, you don’t want to start a bad habit at a young age. Also, feeding them at regular intervals makes it easier to housebreak them.

A Few Food Facts

If you have ever looked in a dog’s mouth, you will notice that they have sharp incisors. Humans have a couple of them too but dogs have a whole mouth of them. They are used for ripping and tearing meat.

Dogs need a lot of protein in their diet but very little, if any, grains. Many commercial dog foods contain grain products as filler in their dry foods. Avoid these as much as possible.

Dogs do not have the proper teeth to grind up and digest grains. All they will do is eliminate it from their system. Feeding too much grain can leave your dog hungry and undernourished.

Read the labels. Be sure that the ingredients say “meat meal” (chicken, pork, beef, turkey, etc) as the first ingredient so you know that in the concentrated dry food, you are getting more meat by weight than if it read “meat” alone. Watch out if it names a grain as the second or third ingredient as that means that there are a lot of non-nutritive fillers involved. Mix wet with dry food so that your dog gets that crunch and a lot of needed protein.

Feeding your dog properly leads to a long happy life with very few health and developmental problems.

Animal-World’s Featured Pet of the Week: The Oscar

Animal-World’s Featured Pet for this week is: The Oscar!

When I hear the word ‘Oscar’ in regards to fish, I immediately think back to when I was 7 or 8 and my regular trips to the local pet store with my dad. I loved going to the pet store with him to look at and pick out our newest fish to bring home. I was especially fascinated by the huge black and red Oscars. I continued asking if we could get an Oscar and eventually my dad gave in and let us get one! We had several large spare aquariums at home and we set one up to put our new Oscar in!

Oscars Astronotus ocellatus belong to the cichlid family Cichlidae and are very popular in the aquarium world! They have been in high demand for years and have seemingly intelligent personalities. They are known for becoming feisty and interactive when you come up to say hi to them or feed them. These fish do become quite large, reaching 12 inches in length once full grown. They are easily bred in captivity, which makes a large variation of color patterns available. The Red Oscar is the most popular for its color patterns because it is red with black spots that are not as muddy colored as wild caught Oscars.

Other Oscar types are the Tiger Oscar and the Speckled Red Oscar. The Tiger Oscar looks more like the wild ones but with more red. The Speckled Red Oscar has black fins and has been developed more recently. There are even variations of these types including the Albino Tiger Oscar and the Albino Red Oscar, as well as lutino varieties. Long finned oscars have also been developed which gives them an interesting look. If you are an Oscar lover there are quite a few types to choose from!

Oscar history: The Oscar was first “discovered” or given a name and described in 1831 by Agassiz. They originate in South America, being found in the Amazon River Basin, the Rio Paraguay, the Rio Negro, and the Parana. They usually stick to the slower moving waters and feed on smaller fish and other small creatures. South Americans value Oscars as a food item too. Oscars have been artificially introduced into China, Florida, and Australia. They are bred in captivity in the United States and elsewhere specifically to be kept as aquarium fish.

The care and feeding of Oscars is straight forward but needs to be taken seriously to keep them healthy. They will eat almost any type of frozen, flake, or live foods because they are carnivores. Feeding them chunks of earthworms, beef heart, good quality pellets, and live guppies and/or goldfish will help them grow and stay healthy.

If you purchase juvenile Oscars it is best to start them out in a large aquarium from the beginning to accommodate their growing needs. A 100 gallon tank is ideal for an adult. Frequent water changes and good filtration is a must when keeping Oscars because of how much they consume and dirty their water. Oscars love to play around with their environment and will constantly attempt to move around and dig out any decorations! Rocks are good decorations that are hard for them to move or ruin. Plastic plants are best if you want plants in the aquarium. Try to bury them deep or cover them with rocks so they are harder to uproot.

Oscars are not community fish and because they are carnivorous, they will eventually eat any other types of fish as they grow larger. You can usually keep more than one Oscar together as long as they are of similar size and if they have grown up together. If you want to breed them it is especially helpful to start out with several Oscars and let them pair themselves (because it is difficult to determine their sexes).

The main disease you need to be on the look out for is Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE). This usually looks like a hole is developing on their head and is thought to be caused by poor nutrition and/or poor maintenance of the aquarium environment. Providing proper care should prevent your Oscars from developing this disease.

Read more about Oscars in general and in more detail on Animal-World’s Oscar page!

Jasmine is a team member at Animal-World and has contributed many articles and write-ups.

Acan Lord

Acan Lord
Acanthastrea lordhowensis
“I am considered royalty among corals – hence my name ‘Lord’!”

In aquatics, the Acan Lord is the only creature called ‘Lord’!

The Acan Lord Acanthastrea lordhowensis, also called ‘The Lord’, is extremely colorful in the Acanthastrea genus. Colors include many different combinations, ranging from blue, red, green, purple, orange, brown, rust, pale tan and pale gray. Other names the A. lordhowensis goes by are the Closed Brain Coral, Pineapple Brain Coral, the Acan Lord Howe, the Pineapple Starry Cup Coral, Brain Coral, and Lordhowensis.

The A. lordhowensis has so many color combinations because of how successfully it has been propagated in captivity. Reef farmers have even more names for the Acan Lord, including the Blood Diamond Aussie Lord, the Green Acan Lord, the Watermelon Aussie Lord, etc., which are all based of of their color combinations. In the Acanthastrea species, the A. lordhowensis is one of the two most popular corals. The other one most sought after is the Acan Echinata A. echinata or the Starry Cup Coral… Read More

Serval Cats

Serval Cats as Pets
“Are you thinking of acquiring a wild cat as a pet? Serval Cats are considered one of the best exotic cats to own – and here are the basics of their care!”

The African Serval is not an overly large exotic cat species, and it has long ears!

Serval Cats, also known as African Servals originate from Africa. These are popular exotic pet cats because of having similar characteristics to typical house cats. They are very loving towards their human owners, however they have a much more wild side than domestic cats and act on their instincts much more strongly. Servals are relatively small for wild cats – ranging from 18 to 40 pounds, with males often being larger. They are larger than most domestic cats, but in comparison to the largest exotic wild cats, such as the Siberian Tiger which reaches 400 to 760 pounds, they are small.

Seven different small wild cats are kept as pets, however the African Serval is the most popular and the most distinctive in looks. Although they look similar to cheetahs they are actually a completely different cat species. The Serval has a reddish to yellowish brown coat with dark stripes and spots which makes it stand out. The Black Serval and Woodland Servaline are two Serval varieties whose patterns include significantly smaller spots. Servals bodies are long and lean with long back legs that are somewhat longer than their front legs. They also have narrow heads and long ears… Read More

The iPhone GreenPleco Game App – Proceeds go to Environmental Charities

New iPhone Game Donates Proceeds to Environmental Charities

GreenPleco is a game studio that creates fun mobile games in order to raise awareness for environmental issues. Their latest iPhone and iPad game, GreenPleco: The Sucker Fish, hits the Apple App Store today. 100% of the profit from all sales will be donated to environmental charities.
“Our ultimate goal is to make factory farms illegal and stop all animal cruelty while offering a great, fun game,” says Milton Mariscal, co-founder of GreenPleco. “Many nonprofits have few ways of getting financial support. With each download, we raise money for organizations that care for animals and the environment.”
GreenPleco has already donated to several charities, including Save the Manatee Club, while developing this game.

GreenPleco contains one full game and a series of three mini-games, each of which features a lovable animal helping to rehabilitate the environment. By combining fast-paced action with memorable characters such as The Sucker Fish, Mr. PigBounce, Claudia the Crab, and Gemma the Turtle, the game appeals to both adults and children alike.
“If you like fun games and you care about the environment, this game is for you,” says Milton Mariscal.
GreenPleco: The Sucker Fish is available worldwide in the iTunes App Store for $1.99.

About GreenPleco
GreenPleco is run by Milton and Claudia Mariscal, animal enthusiasts who want to bring awareness to environmental issues in unique ways. GreenPleco’s mission is to support nonprofit organizations in their efforts to protect many different species of animals on our planet. The company’s name and logo is inspired by the algae eater fish “hypostomus plecostomus,” more commonly known as the sucker fish.  

Check out the cool GreenPleco! game app!

Contact Info
Milton & Claudia Mariscal
Founders of GreenPleco Games
greenpleco@hotmail.com

The Giant Sun Polyp

Giant Sun Polyp
Protopalythoa grandis
“I’m the largest button polyp out there, with a small bit of sunshine too!”

The Giant Sun Polyp is the biggest Zoanthid with its large oral disc!

The Giant Sun Polyp Protopalythoa grandis, is also called a Zoanthid. It is one of the very attractive button polyps. Their colors include white, green, and brown mottling. Iridescent coloring is also not uncommon, with occasional striations which look similar to wagon wheels. The Giant Sun Polyp is considered to be one of the largest Zoanthid species, just like most of the other Protopalythoa genus. Because this polyps oral disc can reach up to 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, this polyp is actually thought to be the largest one of all.

In fact, it is not completely agreed upon as to whether the Giant Sun Polyp belongs to the Protopalythoa genus or the Palythoa genus. Originally they belonged to the Palythoa genus, but were later switched to the Protopalythoa genus because of their growth form. But now there are experts believing they should go back to the Palythoa genus and consider them to be. The scientific community has not yet settled completely on one or the other… Read More

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