Train Your Cat For Vacations

When you are going on a vacation or taking your cat out for a length of time you will want to have the cat trained to ride in a car or vehicle so that the cat is not jumping all over and over the seats.

Purchasing a pet carrier will be the first thing that you will want to do. Searching for the right carrier is another thing that you will want to do. Knowing the right size and fit for the cat will be very important to the cat and you. A carrier in which your cat will like and a carrier that easily picked up and put in the car.

The first thing that you will want to do after purchasing the carrier for your cat is. Let the cat get use to the carrier being around. Set the carrier in the cat area for a couple of days and let the cat investigate with it. Do not push the cat into the carrier or your cat will not want to go in the carrier. After that, you will want to play with the cat with the carrier by putting something that the cat loves to play with in the carrier and see if the cat will go in by it. Once you have the cat going in and playing with the item then you will want to start with the rewarding of small treats, for the cat. Allow the cat for a few days to do this, once the cat is comfortable and maybe laying down in the pet carrier, you will want to start with the door, not to close and lock it, by allowing the door be slightly open for a period of time till the cat is comfortable.

Once you are able to have the cat comfortable in the carrier and you may start with closing the door all the way and then locking the door. Leave the carrier in the place for a few days when doing this.

Next, you can pick up the carrier and carry the cat gently around the house, to get the cat to be comfortable in the pet carrier with you walking. You should do this for several times a day for a few days, just so the cat is comfortable.

Now is the big day, to go for the first ride, remember that your cat has not maybe been in the car. Sounds from the car and near by cars and traffic noise will tend to startle your cat. You may want to do the first drive in a quiet area, with your cat next to you. There is music out to play while you are driving, with your cat to help the cat to relax. Talk to your cat to help it relax and assure it that everything is all right. If at anytime the cat does get frighten you will want to stop and help the cat to relax to assure there is nothing wrong. By doing this the cat will want to go back in the carrier the next time.

Remember to take treats with on the drive; this will help the cat to know that they are doing a good job and that you are keeping them safe. When your cat is doing well in the pet carrier as you are moving you can give the cat a treat to let it know they are doing a good behavior. Do not at anytime yell or do anything to startle the cat, as your cat will have a fear of the pet carrier.

Have patience and practice with training the cat for travel. Now you can pack the bags and cats items that you will need and off on the wonderful vacation with you.

About The Author
Burt Cotton http://www.petcarenews.org

Wheelchairs for Dogs

Dogs, they are always our beloved pets, but sometimes they are more than just pets. Our dogs love us unconditionally, and protect us when they feel danger is approaching. We buy them sweaters to keep them warm in the winter, and boots to keep them dry in the rain.

They are our substitute children and they are our lives. That is why when they are in need of a little extra help getting around like wheelchairs for dogs, we go out of our way to get the very best ones.

Accidents

Every year, thousands of dogs, both young and old, fall prey to hip and joint injuries. Some are caused by genetics, and others are caused by accidents with vehicles driven by distracted drivers. In some cases, it leaves the dog with limited use or no use of their legs. That is why more and more people are turning to wheelchairs for dogs.

Gain Mobility With Wheelchairs For Dogs

For many years, the dogs would be immobile, staying in one place, relying on their masters to move them from place to place. Some owners would simply be put to sleep instead of watching them whither away. Within past decades, the development in wheelchairs for dogs have given our beloved pets their freedom to move again.

Custom Made Wheelchairs For Dogs

A doggie wheel chair is a wheelchair that is custom made for each dog. It is a special device that attaches with a harness to the body of the dog, and a sling that supports the dogs failing limbs. A doggie wheelchair allows him to have the freedom and mobility to go wherever allowed. With a doggie wheelchair, dogs can once again have an enjoyable life.

Hand Crafted Wheelchairs For Dogs

A doggie wheelchair is handcrafted to the exact measurement of each dog, and come in all shapes sizes, and can even be painted the dogs' favorite color.

Whether the dog is male or female makes a difference also, as they wheelchair is built to accommodate bodily functions.

Assistance To All

Wheelchairs for dogs can support not only the hindquarters of an injured dog, but even all four limbs. It is a more intricate design for all four legs however. Doggie wheelchairs can accommodate any dog. There are no known circumstances where a dog could not be assisted by these fantastic devices.

The Many Benefits Of Wheelchairs For Dogs

A big dog can benefit from these wheelchairs even more than a small dog can, as it is more difficult for the owner of a big dog to carry them around from place to place. wheelchairs for dogs give dogs back their independence and makes both the owner and the dog very happy.

Dependency

Veterinarians recommend a doggie wheelchair only when therapy and rehabilitation fail. It is used as a last resort. Because a dog can become dependant on wheelchairs for dogs, vets will not recommend one if there is any hope of them regaining the use of their limbs on their own.

Survey

Surveys of pet owners whose dogs use wheelchairs for dogs overwhelmingly agree that it is the best thing that they could do for their dogs. They witness a puppy like behavior when they are romping around the yard or chasing their favorite ball.

Our dogs depend on us for everything and in return, they greet us when we come home from work with wagging tails and hanging tongues. It is gratifying to an owner of an injured dog to know that he or she can give something back that will make them just as happy by providing something as simple as wheelchairs for dogs.

About The Author
Ian D. Major is the editor and publisher of Wheelchair-Search.Com and as such understands just how important it is that effective research is carried out before choosing and purchasing Wheelchairs-Scooters and other Disability aids.

Here, at Wheelchair Search we aim to bring you the latest and most accurate information on these products. To find out more Visit: http://www.wheelchair-search.com

Joint Health for Young Horses

Joint health is such a concern these days, especially for owners of performance horses, that it deserves some serious attention. In this issue, we'll be discussing ways to create and maintain good joint health in young horses. While many horse owners now consider it normal and acceptable to give joint injections to 4 and 5 year old horses, my clinical experience shows me that horses should not need this kind of support, if at all, until much later in life. With excellent management and nutritional support, it's possible for even hard working performance horses to have strong healthy joints for many years.What Causes Joint Problems?

To understand how to create and maintain good joint health, you have to understand the causes of joint problems. Basically, if the joint fluid stays thick, it can properly lubricate the joint and keep the cartilage healthy. It's when the joint fluid becomes thin that joint problems develop. What causes joint fluid to become thin? Lack of antioxidants.

Horses start developing joint problems (whether they are noticeable yet or not) when they begin training or exercising hard. When horses exercise hard, their bodies create more free radicals, which then uses up their supply of natural antioxidants at a faster rate. When the body has more free radicals than it has antioxidants, one area that suffers is the joint fluid, which changes in consistency and becomes thin. At this point, the joint fluid can't properly lubricate the joint, causing wear and tear on the cartilage. As the cartilage wears down, the joint becomes less and less stable. To compensate, the body lays bone down around the joint the stabilize it. At this point, the joint develops calcium deposits and you can see structural changes on X-rays.

Creating Joint Health from the Beginning

One of the best ways to create a foundation for joint health is to start before the foal is even born. Make sure that the pregnant mare has plenty of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals throughout the pregnancy so that the foal is develops good bones and joints. Once the foal is born it is more difficult to supplement trace minerals as he is nursing and mare's milk contains mainly macro minerals like calcium. Be sure and start the foals on good micromineral supplements as soon as they start to eat some grain especially if good quality grass is not available.

One of the best and easiest ways to ensure that mare and foal get all the micro nutrients they need is to feed blue green algae because it's balanced in calcium and phosphorous. You can also feed the pregnant mare some alfalfa for its micro nutrient and calcium content, but don't feed alfalfa to young foals since it's not balanced in terms of calcium and phosphorous.

Joint Health in Growing Horses

To keep joints healthy in young horses, feed plenty of micro nutrients (from blue green algae, for instance), and avoid overloading the diet with too many calories. Studies have linked diets high in carbohydrates with developmental bone problems like OCD (Osteo Chondrosis Dissecans). Plus, overfed young horses that are too fat will overstress their joints with the extra weight. As a general rule, on young horses I like to be able to feel ribs but not see them. You'll also want to monitor their exercise regimen carefully. Young horses are not fully developed until they are 4 years of age. While you can certainly start working them earlier, they are not strong enough to handle heavy work until age 4.

Joint Health in Horses Ages 4 to 6

At this age, horses are able to handle a full training schedule and start exercising heavily. To support this transition, feed plenty of good quality micro and macro nutrients, along with minerals and trace minerals. Since your horse is exercising hard, you'll also want to add in antioxidants to neutralize the free radicals being produced from the heavy exercise. Good antioxidants include blue green algae (which has beta carotene), Tahitian noni juice, super oxide dismutase (found in Cell Tech's Super Blue Green Algae), coenzyme Q10, grape seed extract, omega-3 fatty acids, and certain minerals such as sulphur (found in the supplement MSM). Stick with natural antioxidant supplements (i.e., those in their natural form) as much as possible since the body can use naturally occurring antioxidants more efficiently than synthetic ones.

At this point in your horse's life you want to focus on good nutrition and antioxidants to prevent cartilage damage. Feeding joint supplements like glucosamine, which is a single component of the cartilage, is not as helpful. It will not prevent cartilage damage-antioxidants do a much better job of it. In fact, you want to delay the use of joint supplements as long as possible using the methods discussed above. Please note that it is not normal for horses to develop joint problems at this age. Joint problems at this age indicate a lack of nutrition, specifically antioxidants.

There is an intravenous injection that supports the joints called Legend, which is hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid can also be injected into the joints and is one substance that can be used to prevent cartilage damage and reduce inflammation after a joint has already been damaged. Hyaluronic acid will thicken the joint fluid and decrease inflammation in the joint (which is the result of free radicals and can thin the joint fluid). If your horse a little sore after a particularly hard workout or show, you may want to consider giving him Legend instead of going immediately to a joint injection. Remember that you can only give your horse so many joint injections in his lifetime, and that each injection increases the chances of introducing infection. Overall, if you have the choice, use excellent nutrition and antioxidants before resorting to joint injections.

One Example

Just to give you an example of how a young horse might be worked and supplemented, consider my mule Jake. Jake is 4 years old and I work him five times a week for an hour per session. He's learning to get his hind end up underneath him, how to back up, and generally using his muscles a lot. He's building up his strength and learning to carry himself, which can be hard work. I feed him probiotics such as Fast Track or Cell Tech Essentials, blue green algae, and Tahitian noni juice twice a day. If he's had a hard workout, he may get regular Bowen sessions, too. Although every horse is different, Jake's case should give you a good idea of where to start designing a program for your horse's optimal joint health.

by Madalyn Ward, DVM
www.holistichorsekeeping.com
www.horsegalore.com

About The Author
Shannon Margolis
Online Horse Classifieds
www.horsegalore.com

Bringing Home A New Puppy

With careful planning, bringing home a puppy to share with your family can be a wonderful experience. However, a new puppy is a lot of hard work.

Before you ever bring your new puppy home, you must prepare your home for the new member of the family. To "puppy proof" your home, it is a good idea to get down on the floor where the puppy will be and look around from his eye level. Electrical cords, houseplants, "lost" items under furniture, and stairs are some of the things that could seriously hurt a puppy.

As soon as you bring your puppy home, it's important to call your vet and make an appointment to have the puppy examined. Your vet will want to start vaccinations and de-worming at this time, and will help you schedule the series of shots your dog will need at this young age. If you are concerned about flea prevention, your vet can help you choose a product that is safe to use on puppies.

Your puppy will need a puppy food that is 100% balanced nutrition for puppies. This will be found right on the label. With a high quality puppy food, tailored for a growing puppy's nutritional needs, it won't be necessary to add any vitamins to his diet. At all times, clean water should be available for the puppy to drink.

A real challenge for any new puppy owner is house training. The best way to begin this process is to confine your puppy to a very small area of the house at first, or perhaps purchase a crate. Half of this area should be covered with newspaper, while the other half should be created as his sleeping area. Puppies don't want to sleep in a wet or soiled bed, so they will go to the newspaper. When you see this behavior, praise him and offer him a treat. As the puppy begins to understand the process, you can gradually give him more space and begin to work on out-of-doors training.

A puppy is a baby! He needs proper rest and playtime stay happy and healthy. Providing your puppy with a soft, comfortable bed and several puppy-friendly toys will help with this. Get down on the floor with your puppy at playtime.

Puppies are a joy to have in the home and as we all know, they're so cute. With just a little effort, your puppy will be a problem-free member of the family in no time at all.

About The Author
Amanda Baker writes for All Things Pondered: http://AllThingsPondered.com.
amanda@allthingspondered.com

Nile Monitor Lizard Information

Appearance

The Nile Monitor lizard is one of the largest within the Monitor class of lizards. They can typically reach up to 7 feet in length. They are brown in color ranging from light to dark brown.

Enclosure

As for an enclosure a full room is typically suggested. This is due to several factors including their desire to climb. Furthermore, the Nile Monitors like to swim so a decent sized pond should be provided for them. Some sort of a hiding area should also be provided for them, as well as good sturdy branches for climbing. Due to the large height required for the Monitors a heater below the enclosure is recommended for good surface heat. For light, unfiltered sunlight is the absolute best, however UV radiation lights offering a full spectrum of rays can be used in place of sunlight as is the same for most lizards.

Food

The Nile Monitors will eat any type of rodent that they are able to swallow. In the wild these lizards will also frequently eat fish as they are typically close to a water source. Having the capability to dive for up to one hour at a time and being very agile in the water contribute to the fish consumption. In addition, some Nile Monitors may like to be fed cooked eggs.

Breeding

Anywhere from 7 to 35 eggs are laid at a time by the Monitors. Usually they dig a hole along the river bed and lay their eggs there.

About The Author
The Lizard Lounge is a resource for the captive care of lizards. They provide comprehensive care sheets, articles and photos for all species of lizards.
lizards@the-lizard-lounge.com

Hot Tips On Dog Training

INTRODUCTION

Dog training is one of the most important things you can do for your pet. It will greatly improve the relationship between you and your dog.

Dog training will give you a means of communicating with your dog. The most obvious way it can help with communication is by teaching your dog to respond to commands. Next time you come across your dog ripping apart your favorite pair of slippers, you will be able to use simple oral commands to stop the destruction. Dog training will also improve communication by allowing your dog to find its place within your household social hierarchy. By teaching your dog to sit and give you its paw, you are telling the dog that you are in charge. When your dog obeys your commend, it is recognizing your position.

Dog training can also protect your dog. A dog that has been properly trained won't go chasing after a bouncing ball into traffic. A dog that has been properly trained won't take a nip at other dogs or pedestrians when you are out for walks. A dog that has gone through dog training will be a confident dog. You will also be able to give it more freedom to do things like run off the leash when you know it will return on your command.

Finally, dog training can be a fun activity for you and your dog to do together, a time for you to focus all your attention on your dog. It need not be a chore, and it should never resemble an extended punishment.

DOG TRAINING BASICS

The most important concept in dog training is the reward. Rewarding your dog with treats is the fastest and most pleasant way for your dog to learn new commands. While punishing your dog has its place in most dog training regimes, it should be used sparingly. If all your dog ever receives is punishments or reprimands, your dog will quickly learn to ignore or avoid you. This will make it extremely hard to properly train your dog.

WHEN TO START DOG TRAINING

Dog training should start as early as possible. While you may not see immediate benefits, and many doubt puppy can actually be trained, it will at the very least set the stage for successful dog training later in life. The methods you use to train your dog will seem familiar and a part of its daily routine. This is not to say that you can never teach an old dog new tricks. Just be prepared to put more effort into it than you would with a younger dog, and to always be patient.

FINDING A DOG TRAINER

While there are many resources available for you to train your dog on your own, the easiest way is to use a dog trainer. You should spend a lot of time picking a dog trainer, however, as bad training techniques could be very damaging to your dog.

Anyone can call himself or herself a dog trainer. It is therefore important to only use a dog trainer that has been glowingly recommended by someone with well-trained dogs, or by a reputable organization such as the ASPCA or other humane societies. And before spending any money, ensure that the dog trainer uses methods you are comfortable with. Visit the facility and see a dog training session in action. If you see any signs of cruelty or hostility by the instructor towards the dogs, find someone else.

About The Author
David Amos is a dog lover and long time dog owner.For more tips and help on dog training click http://onlinedogcare.com/dogtraining and for more about dog care and keeping your dog happy and healthy click http://www.onlinedogcare.com

Common Turtle Species

Turtles are cold-blooded reptiles. They have a shell making them unique from other reptiles. Their upper shell is called the carapace, and a lower shell that protects the belly called the plastron. The carapace and plastron shape and color varies from species to species. One might think it would at least always be a hard shell, which also is untrue. There are softshell turtle species, along with many others.

Some turtle species include Clemmys insculpta which is the wood turtle; Geochelone sulcata which is the African Spurred tortoise; Chelonia mydas which is the green turtle; Emydoidea blandingii which is the Blanding's turtle; Clemmys guttata which is the spotted turtle; Malaclemys terrapin which is the diamondback terrapin; and Trachemys s. elegans which is the red-eared slider.

The species name for the wood turtle is Clemmys insculpta. This turtle is the largest in its genus. The carapace has raised projections on the back that resemble a small pyramid, making it different from others in the Clemmys genus.

The wood turtle is omnivorous and eats things like algae, moss, blueberries, mollusks, insects, earthworms, and mice. Typically adult males are larger than adult females, but not by a whole lot.

The species name for the African Spurred tortoise is Geochelone sulcata. The African Spurred Tortoise is the only tortoise in the world that has adapted fully for terrestrial life. The turtle is famous for digging burrows to protect itself from predators and the temperature. This turtle can go weeks without food or water. When the turtle does get a chance to drink water though, it can drink up to 15% of its body weight.

The species name for the green turtle is Chelonia mydas. Adult green turtles have a different diet than juvenile green turtles. Adults are herbivores eating plants and juveniles are carnivores eating meat. Adults usually spend their time in patches of sea grass and algae to get their food, while juveniles spend their time among the coral reef. Adults preferred food is young leaves and roots of sea vegetation. Juveniles eat animals such as jellyfish, sponges, snails, bivalves, and others.

This turtle is a medium to large sea turtle that has a broad, low, heart-shaped carapace.

Most of their lives are spent in the water but females return to the land to lay their eggs. The eggs take about two months to incubate, and then hatch. As most turtles are, green turtles possess environmental sex determination. Temperature of the nest determines the sex of the hatchling. Warmer temperatures produce females, and cooler temperatures produce males.

Green turtles are found throughout the oceans of the world. Populations are endangered or threatened everywhere.

The Blanding's turtle is a northern turtle that has a black carapace with tan to yellow spots on the scutes. Its species name is Emydoidea blandingii. Sometimes this turtle is confused with the box turtle because of similar appearances.

This turtle lives in clean, shallow water habitats. They like abundant aquatic vegetation, and firm aquatic bottoms in ponds, lakes, marshes, and creeks. However, preferences in habitat can change seasonally and by location. In Wisconsin, the Blanding's turtle prefers marshes over ponds, which is just a location preference. Turtles elsewhere may choose a pond over a marsh.

This turtle nests once a year usually from late-May to early July during the night. However, not every female nests every year.

The common name for Clemmys guttata is the spotted turtle. This is a small, black turtle that has a pattern on its smooth carapace with small yellow spots. Over time the spots may fade, making older turtles appear spotless.

Male spotted turtles tend to have tan chins with brown eyes differing from the females who tend to have yellow chins and orange eyes.

These turtles live in areas that are shallow wetlands. This can consist of swamps, bogs, fens, and marshes, but not confined to just these areas.

Spotted turtles are active during they day for the most part, meaning they are diurnal. However, females are active at night while they are nesting.

Spotted turtles are preyed upon by bald eagles, skunks, and raccoons.

The species name for the Diamondback Terrapin is Malaclemys terrapin. This turtle is a small to medium size turtle which feeds on sponges, bryozoans, gastropods, crabs, carrion, and plant material.

They have a hingeless plastron which can be yellow to green or black, and an oblong carapace is gray, light brown or black. They can be found in estuaries and salt marshes.

Nesting for these turtles is different from a majority of turtles because it is during the day. Most turtles tend to nest during the night. High tide is the most usual time for this particular turtle to nest.

The red-eared slider is native to the United States. It is commonly found in the Southern regions. The species name for it is Trachemys s. elegans.

When the red-eared slider is young it is carnivorous, but as it ages they become more vegetarian. They are a medium size and have a dark green oval shell. Their legs are green with think yellow stripes. The head is also green, but it has a red stripe behind the eye.

These turtles are found in most permanent slow-moving bodies of water. They prefer areas with mud bottoms.

About The Author
Danielle Rose is a featured writer for ForTurtles. To learn more about turtles, visit http://www.forturtles.com/petturtles/ and http://www.forturtles.com/boxturtles/.