How to Protect Your Dog's Teeth From Decay

If your canine has bad breath, there's a good chance he's dealing with a dental problem. Bad breath is caused by residual bacteria that remain on his teeth and gum line. Unfortunately, most people assume their dogs are supposed to have bad breath, and thus do little to look for a growing problem. The bacteria eventually evolves into something much worse, causing pain and in some cases, decay and infection.

Dental health is critical to your canine. It is just as important as a proper diet, plenty of exercise, and routine veterinary examinations. Yet few owners give it the level of priority it deserves. Below, we'll describe some of the problems that can occur if you neglect your dog's teeth. We'll also explain how your pet's veterinarian can help, and offer a few tips for providing dental care at home.

Massive Tartar Buildup and Decay of a Dog's Teeth

Plaque, Tartar, And Gingivitis
Your dog is unlikely to ever suffer from a cavity. They are rare in canines. Instead, he is susceptible to gum disease, which begins as bacteria. While he eats meals, small fragments of food can become stuck between his teeth and gums. These fragments attract bacteria, which allows plaque to form. Even though plaque can be removed easily at home, most owners neglect to do so.

If plaque is allowed to persist, it will eventually turn into tartar. This process occurs due to elements contained in your canine's saliva; it usually takes several days. Unlike plaque, tartar cannot be easily removed without special tools (i.e. scalers) or a veterinarian's help.

Tartar causes inflammation. If you lift your pet's lips, you'll notice his gums are red and irritated. This is called gingivitis. The tartar should be removed as quickly as possible before the condition evolves into periodontal disease.

Periodontal Disease
Tartar that is left on your dog's teeth will begin to create gaps along the gum line. This allows bacteria to colonize the gaps, causing severe pain. This is called periodontal disease; damage to the teeth becomes permanent. Even worse, periodontitis can cause abscesses and infection. If bacteria gains access to your canine's bloodstream, it can affect the function of his liver, kidneys, and other organs.

Oral Cleanings From A Veterinarian
Your canine's veterinarian will perform a thorough examination that reveals any signs of tartar, gingivitis, or periodontal disease. He will examine your pet's mouth and face, looking for indications of swelling; he'll also inspect your dog's teeth, gums, and tongue to note any signs of infection; and he'll observe your canine's bite to make sure it is normal.

Once a thorough exam has been completed, the veterinarian will perform a professional cleaning. He'll remove any plaque or tartar present on your canine's teeth. Then, he'll inspect and polish each tooth to eliminate blemishes.

Tips For Preventing Dental Problems At Home
The most important thing you can do to help preserve your canine's dental health is to brush his teeth once per day. Doing so removes food fragments that might otherwise become stuck, and attract bacteria. It thus prevents plaque from gaining a foothold, and stops tartar from forming in the first place. Use a toothpaste that is designed specifically for dogs.

Also, provide your dog with dry treats and foods that minimize the likelihood of plaque. Canned foods are more likely to lead to plaque than dry foods.

You can also purchase toys that promote good dental health. These toys can be chewed, or gnawed, by your dog, which helps to dislodge food particles that have become stuck between his teeth and gum line. Take care to not give him toys that will cause his teeth to wear down, however.

Your dog depends largely on you to help him avoid gum disease and related dental problems. Brush his teeth regularly, and have his veterinarian examine and clean them once a year.

About the Author
Written by Lawrence J. Reaves
Find the best dog treats from Bestbullysticks.com and check out the famous Dog Chews

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The Burmese Cat

The first Burmese cat is well known and dates back to the 1930's. Its name was Wong Mau. After a long breeding period of using the Siamese cat, the Burmese was established as a breed. There are four recognized colors by Cat Fanciers Association; sable, champagne, blue and platinum.

Burmese Cats Cuddling by Sue Tupling

Having been a dog lover all my life, I never dreamed I would end up with a cat. We were on vacation and met some friends of our family who had a Burmese cat. I love all animals and this was a sable color Burmese. I picked it up from sleeping on a bed and immediately noticed how heavy it was. They are very heavily muscled cats and are often described as a brick wrapped in silk. I picked this cat up and it just laid its head on my shoulder as if I were its caretaker.

When we got home I had to learn more about this cat that I had never heard of. We did some searching and here is what we found.

1. They originated from Burma back in the 1930's.
2. They are a very heavy cat for their size.
3. They are described as dog-like because of the following:
   A. They like to fetch a ball.
   B. They like to ride in the car if introduced at a young age.
   C. They like other dogs.
   D. They will lick your face.
   E. Some will seem to communicate with soft talk-like noises.
4. Easy to groom.
5. Good with children.
6. They stay very playful into adulthood.

They have a short coat so they are easy to groom. Their eyes are large and very telling when they look at you and they do like to look at their owners. They love to be held.

We did find a Burmese and named him Sid. He is a year old now and exhibits some cat behaviors you would never expect from a cat. He does love to be held. In fact lately if I get close to him, he will sit up and put his paws on me wanting up. I thought it would be cute to say do you want up, up, up and now he jumps to get in my arms, sometimes from a little too far and I end up with an unintended scratch.

They are very playful as kittens and adults. They become very intelligent and become their own cat as they mature. They can take over the household and in our case, Sid rules. We had two dogs when we brought SID home and they both jump when he says jump. Sid is a very curious cat as most are and wants to always be right in the middle of whatever you’re doing. He is fascinated by smell and must smell everything you are about to put in your mouth.

He loves paper and will jump into the cupboard if you give him a chance. In this breed the male is more laid back and loves the lap of any person he trusts. Females tend to be more aggressive. Sid loves our longhaired Dachshund, they are best friends but sometimes the thought of a feline type friend seems appealing.

This cat has turned at least this dog lover into a sometimes cat enthusiast.

Author Resource: Michael Michael is a Respiratory Therapist, now disabled working in Internet Marketing, writing articles and building websites. http://www.sidcitykitty.com

Article From Pet Article World

What Kind of Care Do Rabbits Need?

There are a number of different things that need to be done in order to make sure that your pet rabbit is as happy as possible. Many of us that own rabbits as pets really enjoy the personality that many of these unusual animals have. If we take care of them properly, they will be healthy and will provide us with years of companionship. Here are several different ways that you can take care of your rabbit to make sure that they are as well-adjusted as possible.

Well-adjusted Rabbit Doing a Little Personal Maintenance by Mark Hillary

One of the most important things for you to consider is the type of housing that you're going to give your pet rabbit. There is a bare minimum of 2' x 2' x 4' that is necessary in order to house your rabbit properly. Most people tend to go a little bit larger than that, even though the rabbit will not necessarily know the difference. The type of material that is used for the rabbit hutch is also something to consider, and you would want to make sure to provide a solid surface in order for them to have a comfortable place to rest. Even though the majority of it can be made out of wire, don't force them to stay on the wire permanently.

Feeding your rabbit properly is also very important, and there are a number of different things for you to consider in this regard. Most of the rabbit chow that is available commercially is able to provide much of what your rabbit is going to need, but you are going to have to supplement their diet with fresh, raw vegetables. It is especially important to provide your rabbit with green, leafy vegetables on a daily basis. Many people also feed their rabbits sprouts and other vegetables as a treat and also because of the energy that it will provide for them. Humans can learn a lot from the way that rabbits eat.

As far as exercise is concerned, this is something that every rabbit is going to need on a daily basis. If you currently are keeping your rabbit outdoors, it is important for you to provide a large area that is enclosed completely in order to avoid escape. Several hours a day is a sufficient amount of exercise, and they will surely enjoy even more if you are able to provide it for them. Indoor rabbits may enjoy the run of the home, but you might end up having to pick up after them quite a bit in the process.

One final thing that you need to think about is the grooming that your rabbit may need. A daily brushing with a flea brush, is essential in order to make sure that your rabbit's coat is as smooth and critter free as possible. It is also a good idea for you to regularly schedule visits with your veterinarian and perhaps even take them for a professional grooming from time to time. All of these things combined can help to keep your rabbit as healthy as possible.

Author Resource: Alison Wood shares her tips for living with all different types of pets over at the aptly named pet blog, Pet Hooligans. To find out more about all your favorite little hooligans and how to increase their health and happiness, take a look at the website today ==> http://www.pethooligans.com/

Article From Pet Article World

Vitamins You Should Ensure Your Turtles Have As Pets

If you have any turtles as pets you will understand that one of the major parts of caring for them is trying to ensure that they remain healthy. One of the best ways to do this is to provide them the right nutrition through the food you feed them.

All turtles are different and you will need to feed your turtle a specific diet depending on what species of turtle he/she is. Some turtles enjoy specific foods more than others but generally there are vitamins and minerals that all turtles need in their diet and these are vitamin D3,vitamin A and calcium. So why are they important and how can I introduce them into my turtle's diet?

Box Turtle by Ed from Ohio

Vitamin D3 partners well with calcium and is an aid which helps the absorption of calcium into your turtle's body. Naturally in their habitats in the wild, turtles generate vitamin D3 through exposure to sunlight while going about their daily adventures. Most people who have turtles as pets keep them indoors so a good way to ensure your turtle receives this vital vitamin is to have a UVB lamp providing ultraviolet light into a section of their tank for at least 8-10 hrs a day. Ideally it is a lot easier and cheaper to allow your turtle 30 - 40 minutes of sunbathing where you would take the turtle outside into your yard and it can have exposure to natural sunlight two to three times a week. Just having your turtle out for just those few minutes will be enough to help them to produce a sufficient amount of vitamin D3 in comparison to the 8-10 hours of artificial light needed.

One thing to keep in mind is that turtles are not used to extremely cold temperatures so if the weather is not particularly warm in your area it's always better to stick with UVB lighting.

Calcium is extremely important for good turtle shell development and healthy bones in turtles. If there is a lack of calcium in a turtle's diet it can cause severe problems to both land and aquatic turtles alike. The shells of aquatic turtles will become soft and rubbery and it's very possible that a young calcium deficient turtle will develop malformed limbs. Land turtles on the other hand can suffer from pyramiding which is a condition that causes the shell of a tortoise to become lumpy and form pyramid-like deformations. The cause of pyramiding is through too much protein and not enough calcium in a tortoise's diet. Too much protein causes the turtle to grow at a much quicker rate than usual and this combined with a lack of calcium means the shell cannot expand quickly to keep up.

The best ways to provide calcium into your turtle's diet is to provide them with calcium supplements which can come in a few different forms. Calcium supplements for turtles usually come as powder but you can also use cuttlebones which is also used for birds and are a great way to induce calcium into your turtle's diet to ensure they have good bone and shell health.

Make sure you buy the phosphorus-free calcium powder to allow your turtle to take in only calcium which will ensure your turtle does not unbalance their calcium to phosphorus ratio.

Vitamin A is important for your turtle's skin, eyes and mucous membranes. A lack of vitamin A in a turtle's diet can result in swollen eyes, a runny nose and a loss of appetite. These symptoms all point at a condition known as hypovitaminosis A in turtles. A good way to provide your turtle with vitamin A is to feed them foods that are rich in this vitamin and this will be a good way for them to receive the sufficient amount needed.
These foods are:

• Dark leafy greens such as collard greens, mustard greens, Kale and parsley.
• yellow, orange flesh coloured vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes.
• Cod liver oil: Just drizzle a bit over their food before you give it to your turtle.

Author Resource: Written by David Anders
As a final tip for feeding turtles and providing a healthy diet for your turtle remember to not concentrate too much on providing just one particular vitamin or mineral, instead try to provide a balanced diet consisting of all these essential vitamins and a few treats here and there to keep your little buddy happy. For more information on supplements and feeding tips for your pet turtle check out http://www.squidoo.com/feedingturtles

Article From Pet Article World

Fresh Water Aquarium Fish - Angel Fish, Badis and Black Widow

The Angel Fish, Black Widow and Badis are 3 fresh water aquarium fish to consider putting in your aquarium. Their individual needs and particular traits are described. Included are environmental conditions, feeding patterns, colors, temperament and how to breed.

Angel Fish - Pterophyllum scalare (Family: Cichlidae):

Angel Fish by Leo Lee

One of the most beautiful aquarium fish it swims slowly and elegantly and is ideal for a community tank. But note that they can grow to 15 cm long as adults so bear that in mind when calculating the number of fish for your aquarium. A wide temperature range can be accommodated. Regarding feeding, provide them with a diet that varies in content.

The Angel Fish has a thin oval silvery body with long fins curving backwards. Vertical black stripes go from the eye through the body to the caudal fin. You will know when the fish is frightened as the dark stripes practically disappear. These stripes can hardly be seen in the Black Angel fish as the body is dark colored. The Lace Angel has fins with a black lace effect on them and a darker body then the norm. Another Angel fish, the Veil tail, has longer fins and the color is more like marble.

Unfortunately differentiating between the two sexes is extremely difficult. But when you do get a pair and they mate they act as good parents and will stay as a pair. For breeding the tank needs light that is fairly low level and densely planted with a broad leaved plant. After a couple of days the fry will hatch from the sticky eggs. It is worth bringing to your attention that when upset these fish might start eating the eggs and fry, so tread carefully and try not to frighten them - so do not frighten them! Feed the very hungry fry with infusoria initially before moving on to micro worms and brine shrimps.

Badis - Badis Badis (Family: Badidae):

Badis Badis by Tomolyka

It is very difficult to specify a specific color for this species because of the high level of variations found. They range from nearly mauve to a reddish color and sometimes there are even red spots on the body. And they change color depending on their environment or if they are breeding! Noticeable features are a dark stripe through the eye, a long dorsal fin and lines around each scale. The dorsal fin may have blue green vertical stripes in it.

Normally only live food will be taken by them and a temperature range of 20 to 26 degrees Centigrade is suitable with hiding places provided by a thickly planted aquarium. Because it behaves fine with other fish the Badis is suitable for your community aquarium. However they can argue amongst themselves but injury is unlikely.

Take note of the fact that when the male is bigger than the female she can get injured during the mating process, so consider using a female that is at least the same size as the male. As the Badis is a cave dweller then use a flower pot on its side in a thickly planted breeding tank at 29 degrees Centigrade. After the eggs have been laid in the pot take the female out of the tank and wait till the eggs have hatched before taking the male out. Feed the fry on infusoria.

Black Widow - Gymnocorymbus ternetzi (Family: Characidae):

Black Widow Tetra by SaltGeorge

Ideally suited to a community aquarium the Black Widow is a popular choice for a fresh water aquarium fish, being peaceful and only growing up to 6.5 cm in length. It is particularly badly affected by poor water quality so take note. Look out for signs of it swimming with its head down and take immediate action. Although a variety of foods can be used it is best to use live foods.

The fish has bright eyes circled with red and a silver green shiny body with vertical dark bands. Seeing the differences between the sexes is not easy but the female has a fatter body and the male has wider anal and frontal fins and sharper dorsal fins. With respect to breeding the water should be at 24 degrees Centigrade, you need floating plants and plant the tank thickly at one end.

Eggs are scattered about with some dropping to the bottom of the tank and some sticking to the plants. To protect newly hatched fry, remove the male and female from the tank straight after spawning has taken place. They should be fed on infusoria to start with followed by micro worms and daphnia.

Author Resource: Written by Paul Curran
Get your FREE E-Course on how to set up and maintain a beautiful aquarium, have the healthiest, happiest fish around AND get more fresh water aquarium fish information . Paul Curran is webmaster at Fresh-Water-Aquariums-Guide.com and provides an information system for fresh water aquariums care.

Article From Pet Article World

5 Life Lessons You Learn From Antworks Ant Farms

Watching an ant farm being created is a great learning experience. The wonder of seeing them at work will amaze anybody. Make sure that you get the right ant farm for your family. These are 5 important life lessons that you can learn.

AntWorks Ant Farm by Wes & Eli

1 - Social Interaction.
Ants are very social creatures and live in colonies ruled by a Queen. Most ant farms sold in North America do not come with a Queen ant but the group will still function as they would in the wild. Their social function will be clearly shown as they work to build their tunnels.

2 - Taking Care Of A Pet.
Ants do not require much maintenance through their lives. There is some care that needs to be taken for them. It is important to keep their area clean and the tank they live in stable. If the enclosure is moved too quickly or tipped over the tunnels might collapse. The colony would be very traumatized by the collapse of the tunnels. Showing the responsibility of taking care of the ants would show they are getting ready to take on a larger pet such as a dog. You cannot take an ant for a walk or throw a ball around it with it but the concept is the same. It will teach your child how to care for another living creature.

3 - Dedication.
To successfully get through life you are going to need to keep at whatever task you are doing at any given time. Sometimes it may not be fun but you have to do it anyways. By watching the ants dig seemingly endless tunnels your child will learn that if you keep doing what you have to do, you will get the job done.

4 - Teamwork.
We are all in this together. If someone does not pull their weight the entire group suffers. Everything an ant does is for the benefit of the colony and they will work until they are done. Almost on auto pilot, each ant knows their duties and they do everything they can to get those duties completed. Some are tunneling, some are moving material and others are looking for food. If any of the ants is not working with the team it will be noticed.

5 - Overcoming Obstacles.
There are many obstacles in life that have to be overcome. As long as you keep trying you will get past whatever is blocking your path. Sometimes you just need a new strategy. If you put something in the way of the ants, like a rock, they will scramble and dig to get around the rock. It does not matter how long it takes them, they will find a way around the rock on onwards to the other side. If they have to take the tunnel in a totally different direction they will just to get around the obstacle.

The challenges in life will seem much easier and allow your children to succeed if they learn these 5 life lessons. Having fun and learning at the same time is a great activity for a child. They probably will be so proud of their ant farm that they will bring their friends over to show their ants off.

Author Resource: Written by Richard Shepard
What your child will learn from the ant farm will last them a life time. Antworks Ant Farms are available in a wide range of styles to match your house. To see the different models visit Antworks Ant Farms and see which one is right for your family.

Article From Pet Article World

Dogs Not Eating

If your dog usually has a very good appetite but suddenly stops eating, it may or may not be a cause for concern. Many of us consider our dog a close family member, so we want to do what is best to help him stay healthy in any situation. There actually are many reasons why your dog may have stopped eating. It is best to attempt to find the reason and correct it as soon as possible. This may include contacting your veterinarian and/or making some changes at home as well. A few of the most common reasons and suggestions on how to properly correct them are listed below.

Non-hungry Dog by vidalia_11

The most serious reason would be if your dog was medically ill from a disease of some sort. Usually if this is the case, not eating would be accompanied by other symptoms too. Diarrhea, vomiting, listlessness, passing blood in the urine and/or feces are the most common. This should be viewed as a red flag, and you should immediately seek veterinarian assistance. Many times these symptoms coupled with not eating can be a sign of liver disease, kidney failure, bloating, blockages, and even cancer. Do not delay in getting your dog help.

If your dog has just stopped eating but still is drinking, acting energetic and friendly, and urinating and defecating properly, there may be an environmental reason to his disinterest in food. Consider his environment for a moment. Has there been any kind of change that may have bothered him? One of the most common is if he was recently relocated to a new home. He may not be familiar with the new surroundings yet. Another common reason is if there has been a new dog or puppy introduced into his environment recently. This can also include a cat, bird, new baby, new husband or wife, etc. He may just be a bit confused and untrusting of the new person or animal and just needs some time to make the adjustment. He will eat when he becomes hungry enough.

If neither of these reasons pertain to your dog, consider his age too. If he is an older or senior dog, he may just be having trouble eating. Often the food can seem too hard or too large as a dog ages. You may consider trying softened or smaller pieces of food to see if this resolves the problem. You may also want to see if your dog will allow you to check his teeth. He may have broken a tooth or it is quite possible that one is painful. If this is the case, see your veterinarian on what your next step may be to get the tooth or teeth taken care of properly.

Last thing and often overlooked, is the fact that the dog may just not like the food any longer. If it is something that has been given to him for a while, he may be bored. Can you imaging if you had to eat chicken or beef EVERY day? Try something different. If the food that he is refusing is new, try and mix it with some of his old food gradually reducing the amount of his old food in the bowl. Hopefully, that will take care of the situation at hand.

We all love our dogs and want what is best for him. If your dog suddenly stops eating, don't panic. As you can see, there are valid, simple, easy to rectify solutions in most instances. If your dog is unfortunately seriously ill, make sure you provide him with superior veterinarian care. Because you were an observant dog owner, chances are your dog will soon be back to his old self.

About the Author
Kelly Marshall is a featured contributor at ohmydogsupplies.com - where you can find dog halloween costumes, dog steps, and more unique dog gear that you'll never find at your local pet store.

Source: www.isnare.com
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=612778&ca=Pets

Everything You Need To Know About Equine Influenza

Equine influenza is a highly contagious flu-like virus that spreads quickly among horses. The good news is that it is rarely fatal in healthy horses. Zebras, donkeys and debilitated horses are not as lucky and may succumb to the disease. There are two types of the virus: Orthomyxovirus A/Equi-1 and Orthomyxovirus A/Equi-2. The latter has caused epidemics in equine populations and has become endemic in some countries.

Vaccinating a Horse by Patrick Buechner

The disease varies in severity depending on the overall condition of the horse. Factors such as age and health determine how severe the infection will be. Most horses recover over a period of a few days. One of the first noticeable signs of equine influenze is an high temperature in the range of 38C (101F) to 41 C (106F). 37C to 38C is the normal range of temperature for horses. The horse will seem lethargic and less alert.

The next symptom is usually a dry hacking cough which becomes moist over a period of a few days. Nasal discharge will be apparent and the horse may experience loss of appetite, in fact equine influenza symptoms closely resemble human flu symptoms. To confirm the diagnosis and to rule out other more serious respiratory conditions such as viral arteritis and rhinopneumonitis, the vet will take a nasal swab and run some blood tests.

Unless there are complications, supportive care and rest is all that is needed for recovery . For Every day of fever, the horse should be rested for a week with a minimum rest period of three weeks. NSAIDs and antibiotics may be prescribed by the vet if the horse has a fever over 40C (104F) or if the fever persists for more than 3-4 days. Antibiotics and NSAIDs will also be administered if there is a risk of pneumonia or in the case of pus in the nasal discharge.

Due to the fact that there is no cure for the flu, prevention is necessary. Prevention is achieved through vaccination and proper management practices. The introduction of new horses to a stable or barn should entail a two week isolation period to avoid the spread of the virus. The virus is transmitted easily between horses through the inhalation of respiratory secretions and an infected horse can infect others by simply coughing. As with all viruses equine influenza is spread through the air. Nasal and intramuscular vaccinations help prevent infection in healthy horses your veterinarian should be able to advise you on which to use depending on your location and your horse's environment and overall health.

Author Resource: Stal Amani is a world class equestrian centre located within close proximity from virtually anywhere in Europe. There are large arenas and cross country hacking is available in the surrounding forest areas. Stal Amani caters for most equestrian disciplines from novice to Grand Prix level. The facility also includes solariums for the horses and a fully staffed bar and taverna for our two legged guests http://www.stalamani.com

Article From Pet Article World

Delicious Cat Cookie Recipes

Baking cat cookies is a fun and easy way to spoil your cat using healthy and tasty ingredients. Most cats enjoy an occasional extra morsel and with a few basic cat cookie recipes, turning out your next batch is just around the corner! And why buy treats when you have easy cat cookie recipes like these? Let's learn more cat cookie recipes to entice your kitty.

Kitty Getting the Last Treat from the Jar by play4smee

Cat Cookie Recipes
Recipe from Momma’s Gourmet Cat Meals by Frank-Temple-Brown
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon catnip
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
¼ cup soy flour
1 egg
2 tablespoons wheat germ
1 tablespoon unsulfured molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients together. Add molasses, egg, oil, and milk. Roll out flat onto oiled cookie sheet and cut into small, cat bite-sized pieces. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool. Store the cookies in a sealed container.

Chicken Biscuits
Recipe Credit (associatedcontent.com/article/234921/homemadecattreatsrecipessure_to.html?cat=22)
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups rye flour
1 ½ cups brown rice flour
1 teaspoon dried kelp or alfalfa
4 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 ½ cups chicken or beef broth (fresh is best or no sodium)
1 pound ground or minced chicken
1-2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, combine flour, and dry kelp. Slowly add oil, broth, and chicken. Mix well. Put dough on a floured surface, roll to a thickness of 1/8", then cut into desirable sizes, place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake until golden brown. Once done, place pieces in a bag with brewer's yeast and shake to coat them. Store in fridge. Makes two to three dozen pieces.

Moist Catnip Treats
Recipe credit (associatedcontent.com/article/35548/homemadecattreatrecipespg2.html?cat=53)
½ pound ground meat
¼ cup grated carrot
1 tablespoon shredded cheese
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon dried catnip
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and lightly grease a cookie sheet. In a large bowl, mix together the first six ingredients. Lastly, blend in the tomato paste and beaten egg. Roll the meat mixture into small balls, and bake them for approximately 15 minutes or until they are firm and lightly browned. Allow the cat treats to cool completely on a wire rack, and store them in the refrigerator. These cat treats may also be frozen.

Notes:

• Stored dry cat treats in a sealed container in order to prevent them from drying out.
• Moist treats should be stored in a sealed container and refrigerated. These kinds of treats, such as the one above, can also serve as an occasional meal choice.
• Remember to give treats in moderation. Don’t over-feed kitty.

Feeding your cat a delicious, homemade cat food is a way to show your cat you love him. Be forewarned! Most kitties don’t want to go back to store-bought treats when they’ve had a taste of these. And why buy treats when you have easy cat cookie recipes like these?

As for the cat food to help him maintain an ideal weight, try natural meals high in protein, high in moisture, and low in carbohydrates. One of the easiest ways to feed the homemade cat food is to create a homemade diet yourself. It is easy to make your own healthy homemade cat food, and best of all, you can control the overall nutrition and quality of the cat food.

To learn more cat cookie recipes to entice your kitty with visit http://www.catfoodrecipesonline.com

Author Resource: This is Alice pizae a story writer about Cat Cookie Recipes, homemade cat food, cat food. For more tips and information about best cat food and cat food please check: Cat Cookie Recipes, cat food, homemade cat food

Article From Pet Article World

Keeping Seahorses - Three Keys to Success

It wasn't long ago that seahorses were considered "impossible" to keep in captivity. Many believed they were only suitable for those with massive resources such as public aquariums. If the home aquarist were to attempt to keep seahorses, they needed to live near the ocean so they could collect food on a daily basis, and even then, they only met limited success.

White's Seahorse by Richard Ling

Fortunately, times have changed. Advancements in modern marine keeping as well as a better understanding of seahorses and their requirements means anyone with the dedication and willingness to learn can keep seahorses. What we have learned is that seahorses have their own special requirements, and if those needs are met, they can be kept healthy and happy in the home aquarium. The secret to keeping seahorses is the right environment, proper feeding, and getting healthy specimens. We will cover how to do all three in this article.

Environment
Seahorses aren't your typical reef fish. Well, they're not your typical anything! They require a specialized environment to thrive in captivity. Rarely do they do well in your normal marine aquarium.

A seahorse aquarium needs to be a slow, peacefully environment. Their tankmates should be slow, and the water should be slow. As a general rule of thumb, seahorse keepers have the flow rate of their aquarium 3-5x/hr. What exact is this? It's the number of times per hour the entire volume of water "turns over" or moves through the pumps. For example, if you have a 20 gallon aquarium, and you want to have a 5x turnover, you would take 20 and multiply by 5. This would give you 100 gallons per hour turn over, and thus, the flow rate you are looking to achieve is 200gph. This can be through one 200gph pump, or through multiple smaller pumps, such as two 100 gph pumps or four 5gph pumps.

As I said, tankmates need to be slow as well. Seahorses are not very fast at catching food; some will stare at a piece for a good ten minutes before deciding it is edible. Highly aggressive, fast tankmates will usually end up stealing all the food. In addition, gregarious, fast moving fish tend to make seahorses nervous and can cause undue stress, which can lead to illness. Keep the tankmates slow and small, and your seahorse will be happiest. Or don't keep them at all, as many seahorse keepers discovered they do best only with their own kind. For specific recommendations, see the article on seahorse tankmates.

Pot-bellied Seahorse Couple by Nathan Rupert

Because of their unusual shape and behavior, seahorses also need a habitat with a different decor than most marine fish tanks. Wall to wall live rock is not the kind of home your seahorses will appreciate. They aren't usually found associating with the cliff-like walls of a reef, and are too clumsy to navigate the holes and crevices of live rock piles. Instead, they prefer open space with hitching posts to anchor themselves with their prehensile tail. Hitching posts can be a variety of sizes and shapes. In fact, the more variety, the happier your seahorses will be. As long as its relatively columnar and their tails can wrap around it, your seahorse will be happy. Some common hitching posts include: artificial branching corals, plastic & silk plants, brightly colored poly rope, and macro algae such as caulerpa.

With that being said, no seahorse tank should be devoid of live rock. Live rock is still an important part of the miniature ecosystem you are attempting to create. What is important is balancing the volume of live rock with the open space needed. Tonga branch rock is one way of creating both hitching posts and providing live rock. Most seahorses enjoy other types of live rock to poke around in, looking for naturally occurring crustaceans to eat.

The size and shape of the aquarium is also important to seahorse health. 20 gallons per seahorse is the absolute minimum for a pair of seahorses. 40 gallons per pair of the really large ones such as H. ingens or H. abdominalis. However, water volume is only one factor when determining the best size seahorse aquarium. Seahorses need tall aquariums, as they are vertical swimmers. This is especially true if you plan to breed them. Minimum tank size is three times the total adult height of the seahorse. Be sure this is after you subtract the depth of your sand bed. A 20-inch tank with a 6 inch sand bed only gives seahorses 14 inches of usable height.

The last issue concerning the seahorse environment is water quality. Seahorses are messy eaters; consuming large volumes of high protein, high fat foods. They have an inefficient digestive system, which leaves the aquarist with high protein, high fat poops that break down in the aquarium. For this reason, it is important for the seahorse aquarist to watch their water quality closely, and set up their aquarium to deal with these waste-producing machines.

An efficient nutrient export system is a must. Nutrient export is simply put, a method of removing waste, either before it brakes down to nitrate and phosphate, or after. The simplest nutrient export system is large water changes, which physically removes the water with the waste, and replaces it with new water that does not have waste. However, water changes large enough and frequent enough to make a profound effect on nutrient remove are labor intensive and costly. Most aquarist, therefore, supplement regular partial water changes with other methods of nutrient export. Commonly used methods are protein skimming, refugiums and macroalgae for biological export, and nutrient absorbing pads.

Feeding
Seahorse keepers are obsessed with food. Live food, dead food, big food, small food. Why? Because our seahorses are so dependent on it.

Pink Seahorse by Nemo's Great Uncle

In nature, seahorses spend most of their time eating. This is because their digestive system is very short and not very efficient. They have evolved to be eating machines. Unfortunately, they have evolved to be picky eating machines, only recognizing the movement of live food as actual food. Thus comes the problem many seahorse keepers face. Seahorses not only require frequent feedings of highly nutritious food, they often will only eat living food. Which means for many seahorse aquarists at least one extra tank for food and a fairly large food budget.

Fortunately for aquarists, due to recent laws regarding the control of the number of seahorses traded internationally, captive bred seahorses are popular. Thankfully, they usually are grown on frozen food and have adapted early on to eat whatever is thrown in the aquarium. However, that doesn't entirely answer the problem of seahorse feeding. Many foods available on the market are not suitable as a staple diet for seahorse. Mysis, a popular frozen food for seahorses, is usually only available from freshwater sources. These sources do not have the right balance of fats appropriate for marine animals, and as a staple diet is likely to result in deficiencies as well as problems with accumulation of fatty tissue in the liver. Brine shrimp is virtually void of nutrition. Small krill, sometimes marketed as plankton, is a great food source, but many seahorses turn their noses up as they do not like the hard shell.

The same problems are encountered with live food. Ghost shrimp are typically freshwater and don't contain the right nutrition for saltwater fish. Brine shrimp are very poor nutritionally. Saltwater ghost shrimp and mysis are sometimes available but tend to be expensive because they have to be shipped from the cost.

So what is a seahorse keeper to do? Variety is the spice of life. While it may take time to convince your seahorse that mysis isn't the only thing they want to eat, most that eat frozen will learn to eat other shrimp like frozen food, such as krill. With live food, spend the money to get live saltwater shrimp and supplement. You can also enrich food with various supplements such as Vibrance or Selcon. Feeding live shrimp high quality foods to "gut load" for seahorses is another option.

Feeding should be done at least twice a day. As I said, in the wild they eat constantly. Fortunately for us, we can provide them with a high quality food where they can have a couple square meals a day and not force the aquarist to quit their job to ensure a constant supply of food. However they still need to be feed more often than most fish, and wouldn't do well missing feedings on a regular basis. It's also important to feed young seahorses more often, ideally 3-4 times a day as they grow.

For specific information on seahorse food items, see our seahorse food article.

Healthy Stock
Perhaps *the* most important factor in keeping seahorses is starting off with healthy animals. A big problem facing seahorse keepers is how rapidly their condition can decline, especially when you take into account the stress of transportation and acclimation can have seahorses. And unfortunately for aquarists, once their condition starts to decline, it is very hard to turn around. They also seem more susceptible to spreading disease among otherwise healthy individuals once they fall ill.

So what can you do to assure you are starting with healthy animals? The absolute best thing you can do is start with captive bred seahorses. They are by far the superior choice for longevity and health. They have been breed in captive conditions and are therefore acclimated to tank conditions. It is equally important, though, to get your captive bred seahorses from a reputable dealer. You want to be sure that the dealer isn't mixing them with wild seahorses, and ideally not with wild fish at all. While captive bred seahorses are much healthier individuals, some seem more susceptible to disease carried by wild fish, as they have never been exposed to "normal" pathogens.

Longsnout Seahorse by cliff1066

If you have to go with wild caught seahorses, then its even more important to be sure you get your seahorses from a reputable dealer. The dealer must understand the specific requirements of seahorses, or you are likely to acquire sickly animals that are unwilling or unable to eat. You also must watch out for disease animals suffering from capture and shipping stress. While it may be tempting to try and "rescue" suffering animals, it will most likely result in disappointment, as well as encourage irresponsible fish stores to carry more seahorses likely to perish.

Purchase checklist:

• Active, moving around. Contrary to popular belief, seahorses rarely stay in one place and are moving around quite a bit.
• Bright, active eyes. A healthy seahorse will swivel its eyes around in constant search of food.
• Full, round belly. A healthy seahorse is a will feed seahorse. While they tend to be fairly thin by nature, any caved in sides is a bad sign.
• Clear fins.

Things to avoid:

• Cloudy eyes/dead stare (not much eye movement)
• Caved in sides, hollow looking plates.
• White, gray, or inflamed growths. Algae growth is normal, though.
• Heavy breathing/panting/coughing - Seahorses tend to breath heavier than most fish, though rocking back and forth from breathing so hard, or looking though they're coughing every few breaths is generally a sign of gill parasites or a seahorse being at death's door.
• Bloating. While a fat seahorse is a healthy seahorse, they also succumb to infections that cause fluid to accumulate under the skin. It can be difficult to tell the difference in the early stages, but watch for if it is still eating or not.

It may not always be possible to observe a seahorse before purchasing considering some of the best sources are online. Which is why it is so important to be sure to choose only a reputable dealer. If you do purchase online, be sure to watch for these traits right after purchase so you can notify the vendor if there are any problems with your newly acquired stock.

In addition to picking out healthy individuals, its important to pick species that will thrive in captivity, whether wild caught or captive bred. In general, the species that seem to be best suited to captivity are H. erectus, H. zoestrae, and H. reidi. Captive bred specimens of H. erectus and H. reidi readily eat frozen food. H. zosterae requires live food, but eats easy-to-hatch baby brine shrimp. All are fairly disease resistant. The wild caught specimens of these species tend to do will in captivity also, as long as you're willing to meet the specific wild caught requirements. H. reidi is difficult to train to frozen food, but as long as you're willing to feed it live food will thrive. H. erectus learn to eat frozen quickly, but you have to watch for parasites in wild caught individuals. The care for captive bred and wild caught H. zosterae is pretty much the same.

Once you have you're healthy stock, you need to keep it healthy. This means quarantining. Yes, this includes captive bred individuals, even though many breeders claim it isn't necessary. While most captive bred animals are in fact disease free, as claimed, you still need to make sure they didn't pick up any diseases at a distributor, etc . . . Quarantining new animals also gives you a chance to observe their eating habits in a quiet, close environment where they can't easily disappear into the decorations of the tank, or be out competed by established tank members. Quarantining should be done for a full 4 weeks, possibly longer in the case of wild caught seahorse. Many people ignore this advice until they lose their first tank to some highly contagious disease - myself included. Learn from our mistakes and ALWAYS quarantine. I cannot emphasis this point enough. Just do it!

While this just a basic overview of what is needed for keeping seahorses, (many a book has been written on the subject and still not everything is covered!) following these three keys will lead to a happy, healthy seahorse tank.

About the Author
Tami Weiss has been keeping seahorses for the past decade. For help and more information on seahorses and pipe fish see http://www.fusedjaw.com Articles, Photos, Videos, Discussions and more available.

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