Pet Care Tips Blog

You’ve loved horses ever since you were a kid and have always dreamed of owning one. You’ve spent the last three years taking horseback riding lessons. You know how to tack up, muck out, and have read just about every book out there on the care and feeding of horses. No one can doubt that you’ve put your time in. Horses are no fleeting fancy, but are a hobby that is here to stay!

So, are you ready to buy your first horse? Well, before you break out your checkbook you need to take stock of a few things in your life to determine whether horse ownership is right for you.

The Importance of Protecting Your Horse from Parasites

Horses have worms. All of them do. The good news is they can be kept under control with proper management. Manure removal, practicing good sanitation measures, bot egg removal, and keeping to a regular deworming schedule are a must. Not doing so can take a staggering toll on a horse’s health, even death.

Good programs should include deworming for strongles (bloodworms), ascarida (roundworms), Oxyuris equi (pinworms), and Gasterophilus (bots). Using paste wormers, adult horses should be wormed every 6 weeks but not to go longer than 2 months YEAR ROUND. For foals, from one month of age every month until they are weaned, then every 6 weeks until they are 1 year old. After 1 year follow the adult program. Pregnant mares should follow the adult program until 1 month from due date, at that time they should be wormed with an ivermectin product, and again with an ivermectin product the day she foals. If you are feeding a daily wormer, check with your veterinarian to make sure if any adjustments might be needed for your area.

Your horse comes up lame, he limps, bobs his head, is obviously in pain, won’t run and all you can do is wonder just how serious will this be, will we ever ride again. Not your best case scenario.

Maybe the horse put its foot in a hole, maybe it just tripped, but many times lameness creeps in over time as a result of incorrect horseshoeing practices. Your horse’s foot is not balanced, the hoof wall is not level, the heels have been left too short, and too much toe on the foot stretches the tendons. Maybe the horse has pigeon toes that have been left untreated. All of the above over time can lead to lameness and permanent lameness.

Taking care of a horse can be a fun and rewarding experience. Just like any domesticated animal or pet, they rely on us for their well-being.

The first basic step in caring for your horse is to provide adequate feed, water, and forage. Grain comes in a variety of forms, such as pellets or textured. The compressed brand being granulated into pellets, and textured grain (also called sweet feed), allows you to visible see the oats, corn, and molasses. The preference is yours, but keep in mind your horse may prefer, perform, and thrive better on one versus the other. The amount of grain that you feed your horse will depend on his performance level, general health, and nutritional needs.

Once you own an aquarium the tank maintenance will be one of your most important responsibilities. It is certainly not as much fun as you get from decorating the tank or selecting your fish, but without proper fish tank maintenance, you will be endangering the lives of your fish.

Fish tank maintenance is an essential part of your new hobby as an aquarist, and neglecting this will lead to problems with both the fish tank and the long-term health of the fish. Fish tank maintenance can sometimes seem like a bother for the aquarium owner but it doesn’t have to be that way. Perform your fish tank maintenance on a regular schedule and you’ll ensure that you never miss out on what needs to be done.

So you’re faced with the hard decision of choosing a bird cage for your bird? Well, there are multiple things to think about, but this article will discuss the 3 most important issues involved in that decision. If you abide by the guidelines discussed below, you’ll find a great cage at a great price that you’re truly happy with. There’s a lot to think about - not just the dimensions of the cage and the spacing between the bars. However, that is a great place to start, so let us cover that first in this article.

Choosing the right size cage & also making sure the bar spacing is safe

As an owner of 6 cats (only 2 aggressive) and even more expensive furniture I know exactly how you feel. I wanted my cat declawed (onychectomy), but I heard so many awful things that turned me to so many confusing places. Through my successful experience I outlined everything here to save you the time and get straight to the answers. So lets begin, well first of all we can right off the bat say the declawing is a painful procedure and should be looked at as a last resort to control the cat’s (normal) behavior to scratch. The purpose of the actual cat scratching is to remove old, worn fragments of nails. This piece will help you to eliminate the root cause of the cat’s behavior to scratch furniture and/or people, and will save you time and money. money.

Bettas are a member of the Gourami family. The most popular Betta species is the Betta Splendens (sometimes referred to as the Siamese fighting fish or Pla Kat in it’s native Thailand). They are popular in aquariums because they have a distinctive shape/color and are quite active. This article will discuss some of the things you need to know and tips for breeding Bettas.

Like many cichlids the male betta is responsible for raising the young. Bettas are split into two sub groups based on their method of rearing the Betta Fry. They can be either a mouth brooder or a bubble nester. Mouth brooders keep the young in their mouth for safety. Betta splendens are typical bubble nesters. The male will create a nest close to the water surface. It will consist of bubbles and a saliva that is used to give the nest more durability and protect the eggs and fry in the future.

When choosing a family pet, many people automatically think of a cat or a dog. Those who do not enjoy having a pet running around the house all day, might think of rabbits, guinea pigs or hamsters. But if you want a different kind of furry friend, I suggest looking into adding a chinchilla to your family.

Chinchillas are members of the rodent family. They originate from the mountains in South America. They are especially known for their soft fur, which they keep in excellent shape by rolling around in sand.

One thing to keep in mind when considering a chinchilla is that they can live for a long time, up to 20 years. You could compare it to the lifespan of a cat. The chinchilla is not a short-term pet, so you have to be sure you can accommodate them properly and are willing to make a commitment.

Many area rescue missions and animal shelters will not support the removing of the claws of a cat. It actually depends on the cat and your need for the procedure to be done. A veterinarian will remove the claws and does this at the same time of neutering or spaying. Cats can receive training to avoid using the furniture as a scratching post, but some cats are extremely stubborn requiring the removal of the claws.

Cats keep the claws hidden inside a skin pouch on the foot. When they walk or run, the claws remain hidden unless they are climbing or scratching. The claw has a hook to it to catch prey better and allow them to climb faster when needed. If the cat claws become to long a cat may walk differently because of the length. You need to keep these claws trimmed, which is not an easy task. Cat health claws and problems with clipping them are cats protect their claws from everyone.