Posted by Mike on February 27, 2009 under 1. Info Collection | 
Scissors and Pets Don’t Mix, Part Two: “
Last night a colleague told me about a recent case.
My colleague’s client has a long haired cat. The cat had been suffering from diarrhea, and his hindquarters became soiled. His owner was cleaning his hind end when she noticed two lumps below his anus. The lumps looked like feces matted in his hair.
Using a wash rag, the cat’s owner tried to pull the lumps off, but they were too firmly attached. What’s more, the cat seriously resented her efforts.
Undaunted, the client enlisted her husband to hold the cat. She could not tolerate the idea of feces stuck to the cat’s hindquarters, so she grabbed some scissors and resolved to cut the lumps off.
As it turns out, her husband lacked the werewithal to restrain the cat. The cat jumped out of his grasp. And it is a good thing that he did!
The cat’s owner took him to my colleague to deal with the matter. It turned out that the lumps did not consist of feces matted to the hair. The lumps were the cat’s testicles.
Scissors and pets simply don’t mix.
Click here for the first installment of Scissors and Pets Don’t Mix.
Photo credit: click here.
“
(Via Vet Blog: Information and Advice from Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM.)
Posted by Mike on February 26, 2009 under 1. Info Collection |
Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted): Fun With Budgies: “Now on ScienceBlogs: Does mentioning SEX help students learn about other stuff too?
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LIVING THE SCIENTIFIC LIFE (SCIENTIST, INTERRUPTED)
‘The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.’ — Eden Phillpotts.
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GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her ‘dream’ research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. Now unhappily unemployed, GrrlScientist relies on her considerable sk”
(Via .)
Posted by Mike on February 25, 2009 under 1. Info Collection |
Backyard Chickens 101: Part One: “
Since it’s spring time and many of us will be getting new chickens we felt like it was time for a chicken 101.
First off, let’s talk about chickens. Even though the idea of getting fresh eggs from your backyard every morning sounds great, you may have a few concerns about keeping them. I have wanted to have a farm for as long as I can remember but when it hit me that I might be able to keep them in my own postage stamp lot I had a lot of questions. I’m going to address them below:
First off, are they noisy?
I imagined keeping chickens would be something akin to the geese at the park and that there was no way my neighbors wouldn’t complain. I was surprised to find that with the exception of the roosters(male chickens) these birds are pretty quiet. Definitely quieter than my neighbor’s dogs! My hens will sometimes cluck around and squawk at one another but it’s such a small sound I doubt that their noise would ever carry over my fence and disturb anyone. Now, I never had more than 6 hens at once so I can’t comment on large flocks!
What about the smell?
I was surprised to find that my hens smell very little. The smell really relates to the size of the coop and the number of birds you are keeping. Their waste is not even close to as stinky as other animals and will quickly work it’s way back into the earth - unless you are requiring them to stay in a small confined space. Even doing that, as long as it isn’t smaller than each each bird requires, you will only need to ‘clean’ their coop every few weeks. At our house that meant raking or shoveling out some of the bedding and adding it to the compost pile and then replacing it with fresh pine/straw.
What about disease?
Chickens are hardy animals. They take care of themselves as long as they are given the freedom to do so. Large factories where thousands of birds are housed together in confined spaces are disease spreaders - not backyards. If one of my chickens were acting funny I’d notice it immediately and take action. Chickens are clean animals and if they were starting to get really dirty that would be a sign that something is wrong - which a backyard chicken owner would notice when a factory worker might not. They aren’t complicated animals and they don’t come into contact with other chickens so they are pretty safe and healthy. Also, when I first got chickens I was worried about the bird flu until I read an article on whether or not backyard chicken owners should worry about bird flu. The article pointed out that Americans don’t tend to drink the blood of obviously sick chickens or eat chickens that have died from disease. I think we fail to realize that other cultures might not take the same precautions ordinary Americans would and therefore put themselves more at risk. In the end, you really don’t need to worry.
Are they expensive?
They sure don’t have to be! Just like other family pets you can go and spend over a thousand dollars on a mansion of a chicken coop or you can build your own or even pull it together from things you’ve already got. And their feed is pretty cheap - and it can be even cheaper if you feed them kitchen scraps. Plus, a chicken’s favorite meal is found right in your own backyard. Letting them roam around your backyard grass and find bugs will not only make them happy but the grass will add some omega 3’s to your eggs not to mention decrease the amount on bugs out there!
Where do you get chickens?
There are a few places to look but the easiest place is your local feed store or IFA. You can also look on local classifieds like craigslist. You can also order them online and get live chicks shipped directly to your door! Sometimes these hatcheries require a certain number of chicks per order so you’ll need to consider that. The price of chicks should range from $1.00 on up a piece. Some breeds are rare and sought after and can cost more. Also, it is important if you are planning on keeping these in your suburban backyard that you are getting females only! Females baby chickens are called pullets and it’s something you need to ask so that you don’t keep waiting for eggs from a male chicken!
What breed should I get?
I started by just buying what looked cutest to me at the feed store and while that isn’t terrible it might not give you some of the characteristics you desire. If you didn’t know it, not all hens lay the same number of eggs. Some hens lay extra large eggs every day and others only lay small eggs once a week. The best place to look is on mypetchicken.com at their breed list - they even have a questionnaire that you can fill out with what you are looking for and they will recommend the best breeds for you. That site is also great for lots of basic questions and even buying coops online.
When do they start laying eggs?
Waiting for your first egg can take an eternity! Hens will generally start laying around 20 weeks and will keep laying well until they reach about three years of age. Their production will sometimes go down in winter but there are things you can do to keep it going such as giving them a heat source as well as artificial light.
When do eggs have babies in them?
This has got to be my favorite question - and I’ve heard some crazy answers for how you get a fertilized egg! Some people say that all eggs have chicks in them or other say a rooster has to sit on the egg after it’s hatched but acutally folks, chickens do it the old fashioned way. I haven’t owned a rooster yet so I haven’t witnessed much chicken sex but I do know without it you don’t have any fertilized eggs! So if you don’t have a rooster you don’t have any chicks on the way! Also, you can still eat fertilized eggs. If the eggs aren’t immediately handled correctly a chick will never form so just put your eggs right in the fridge and they’ll be just like the others.
Where do I get their feed?
You can get chicken feed at the local feed store or IFA. And though you might not realize it, you might have one closer than you imagined. I was living in a suburb of a very large city and realized I had one right down the road that I had been passing for years! They can also be a good resource for questions you might have or for the other supplies you’ll need.
Will I like my chickens, are they like pets?
I have a friend who is terrified of chickens and she cannot imagine that they could be lovable. So while you might not imagine it, chickens are very rewarding animals and many regard them as pets! I too, came to love my hens, even feeling that I’d keep them with or without eggs. I wrote a post about that a while back and you can read more about my chicken love there.
Now that we’ve gone over a few of the basics we need to get down to the nitty gritty details like housing, feeding, and daily care. Marisa will be going over all of that in Part Two of this post.“
(Via Backyard Farming.)
Posted by Mike on February 23, 2009 under 1. Info Collection |
When the magpie looks in a mirror, it sees itself: “Unlike Narcissus of Greek mythology–who upon seeing his reflection in water jumped in thinking it was another–magpies have proven they can recognize their own reflections. Until now, only a small number of primates (chimpanzees, pygmy chimps, and orangutans) have displayed this ability, making the magpie the first bird shown to recognize itself. “
(Via animal behavior news from mongabay.com.)
Posted by Mike on February 19, 2009 under 1. Info Collection |
It’s not their fault, it’s ours.: “I take a big issue with breed-specific legislation. Politicians target innocent breeds that they claim are ‘dangerous’ because they’re too small-minded to look at the facts of how dogs become aggressive. If you were to outlaw ‘dangerous’ breeds, you’d have to start with the most aggressive - like Dachshunds, Chihuahuas, and Jack Russell Terriers. Pit Bulls don’t even make the list - and have only ranked higher than 5th on the Vicious Animal Legislation Task Force’s Reports once (in 1992, and were still below Cocker Spaniels). People are killed often by other breeds, including the ever-lovable Lab and even Pomeranians. Even the CDC does not support Breed Specific Legislation. But I digress. What’s really important is that it’s not the dog’s breed that makes it aggressive, it’s the dog’s owner.
That obvious conclusion was just scientifically supported by a new study out of the University of Pennsylvania. Using surveys, researchers investigated how different training behaviors related to aggressive behavior.
Dogs which were trained using aggressive methods tended to be more aggressive. Methods such as hitting, kicking, growling, physical force, or other intimidation tactics elicited aggressive behavior in at least 25% of the dogs who were subjected to them. And a large portion - 1/3 or more of owners - utilized such methods. But what’s even worse is that the owners reported that these methods, though often used, were ineffective. In other words, not only did they use aggressive methods to try to curb bad behavior, but they didn’t work.
â??Our study demonstrated that many confrontational training methods, whether staring down dogs, striking them or intimidating them with physical manipulation does little to correct improper behavior and can elicit aggressive responses,â? said Meghan E. Herron, lead author of the study.
To avoid aggressive behavior, most trainers recommend positive reinforcement or neutral training means, which foster a loving relationship with your pet.
It also adds to the growing evidence that it’s the owners, not the dogs, that are the problem. People buy and breed dogs to fight, and then wonder why their neighbor or friend ends up bitten (77% of dog bites are from the pet of family or friends). Or parents leave their kids alone with young, energetic dogs and wonder what goes wrong (upwards of 75% of attacks are against kids). Of course, this isn’t the first study to show that it’s not the breed that’s the problem - others have, too - but this is the first to really directly connect training methods, even commonly used ones, to dog behavior. Hopefully people will start paying attention and instead of banning ‘aggressive’ breeds, put in legislation that hold the owner responsible for their dog’s behavior and exacts stiffer penalties out of people who are involved in dog fighting.
D DUFFY, Y HSU, J SERPELL (2008). Breed differences in canine aggression Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 114 (3-4), 441-460 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.04.006
M HERRON, F SHOFER, I REISNER (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 117 (1-2), 47-54 DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2008.12.011
…
“
(Via Research Blogging - Biology - English.)
Posted by Mike on February 18, 2009 under 1. Info Collection |
Can Pets Become Addicted to TV?: “
I think my cat is addicted to TV. I started
leaving the TV on when I left to go to school or
work, so he would have some background noise and
human voices to listen to, in hopes he wouldn’t
feel so lonely (he’s not your typical independent
cat and quite enjoys human companionship). Now
whenever the TV is on, he leaps up on the ottoman
(he thinks it’s HIS couch), gets all snuggled up
and intently watches TV for hours. My friends and
family find humor in the fact that he’s become so
humanized. I am concerned, as studies suggest that
children who watch TV before the age of 2 progress
more slowly and may develop behavioral issues when
older. I’m sure there haven’t been many studies
on cats that watch too much TV, but I was hoping
you might have an opinion on the matter. Thank
you.
Naomi
Caribou, ME
Cats and dogs rarely become addicted to television. This is because they lack thumbs and generally cannot work remote controls.
Does television stunt the development of cats and dogs? I’m not aware of a scientific study on the matter, but I sincerely doubt it.
In fact, I have rarely seen animals express much interest in television. So, when the kind folks at Off the Wall Entertainment sent me At Home Doggy Daycare and At Home Kittycat Daycare, both on DVD, I was skeptical. The DVDs are designed to have visual and auditory content that is stimulating to and interesting for pets.
Since I am, sadly, between cats at this time, I watched Kittycat Daycare by myself. It was quite entertaining. Features include kittens playing soccer as well as visuals of squirrels frolicking, fish swimming, and birds flitting about.
Doggy Daycare has similar features tailored, theoretically, to the needs of dogs. For this DVD I decided to perform a non-controlled, non-randomized, non-blinded study with an n of one and publish the results in a non-peer-reviewed venue (my blog). I called my pal Buster into the living room and put on the DVD.
Up to this point, I should point out, Buster had never shown any interest whatsoever in television. We’re talking about a dog who will sit through Barry Lyndon, Walk The Line, The Matrix, and The Big Lebowski as if nothing is happening.
Buster loved the DVD. He paid rapt attention to the video from the instant it started. When the soundtrack featured a squeaky toy Buster ran to the speaker. For a moment I thought he might try to use my new sound system as a chew toy. Fortunately he did not.
Buster whined during the scene featuring a dozen dogs frolicking together in a play area. I think he was sad to be left out of the fun.
A harrowing moment occurred during the scene entitled ‘Nutty Neighbors’. Buster nearly knocked over the television trying to chase the star of the scene (who happened to be a squirrel).
It’s a good thing Buster doesn’t have thumbs. If he did, he’d be at risk for addiction to At Home Doggy Daycare.
Photo: Mia Lily participates in America’s number one pastime.
“
(Via Vet Blog: Information and Advice from Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM.)
Posted by Mike on February 11, 2009 under 1. Info Collection |
Peanut Butter Salmonella Infects Dog In Oregon: “Oregon Public Health Division epidemiologists confirmed today that the national outbreak of salmonella linked to contaminated peanut butter products can also affect pets. Laboratory testing has confirmed salmonella for at least one dog in a Douglas County household. Dog biscuits in the household have also been found to be contaminated with salmonella. ‘The dog biscuits were on the list of products recalled several weeks ago,’ said Dr.”
(Via Veterinary News From Medical News Today.)
Posted by Mike on under 1. Info Collection |
Article Discusses Safety Concerns of Cheap Flea Preventatives: “
I’d like to thank Joel, of San Francisco, for forwarding an article to me yesterday. The article discusses adverse events associated with flea preventatives, especially those available over-the-counter.
Let me begin with two caveats. Some of the sidebar advertisements on the article are a bit loony. In my opinion this damages the credibility of the article. Loony websites have loony advertisements, and loony websites often publish loony material.
More important, before anyone gets too worked up railing against flea products, don’t forget how vile and terrible are fleas. Fleas spread tapeworms, ‘cat scratch disease’, and feline infectious anemia. They contribute to skin disease and autoimmune disease. Their feces contaminates houses. They spread bubonic plague. Fleas are bad, bad, bad.
Now, on to the article.
[P]yrethroid-based flea and tick treatments — from Hartz, Sergeant’s, Farnam, and Bayer — are approved for sale by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and they are readily available at grocery stores, specialty pet retailers, and hardware stores. But they are also linked to thousands of reported pet poisonings, and they have stirred the ire of pet owners, the concern of veterinarians, and the attention of regulatory agencies . . . At least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot on treatments with pyrethroids were reported to the EPA over the last five years, according to an analysis of EPA pesticide incident exposure data by the Center for Public Integrity. That is about double the number of reported fatalities tied to similar treatments without pyrethroids, such as Frontline and Advantage — although these products also have critics.
I was surprised to learn that Advantage and Frontline had been linked to 800 pet deaths over the last five years. In my practice, I see major toxic reactions to the Hartz and Sargent’s products regularly. In the last ten years, I have not seen even one life-threatening reaction to Advantage or Frontline, although I realize they occur.
I would be curious to learn the rate of reactions to Advantage and Frontline relative to those for the pyrethroid-based products, rather than the absolute numbers for each product. Also, readers should remember that the number of adverse events listed for each of the products represents events that have been reported to regulatory agencies. The majority of reactions are not reported.
The article, predictably, goes on to describe several heartbreaking horror stories associated especially with use of cheap flea products. But then it delves into unexpected territory:
Another possible explanation for the number of incidents is that consumers often misuse flea and tick products, causing the sickness that pet owners later blame on the treatments, said Jennifer Windrum, a spokeswoman for Sergeant’s. ‘Pet owners feel incredibly guilty if they misapply it to their pet,’ Windrum said. ‘It’s easier to blame a company.’
Whoa! This is a total cop out. All products are misused by consumers. It’s a fact of life. For a product to be truly safe, it should not consistently cause problems when it is inevitably misused.
Ultimately, the article does not offer any simple advice to pet owners who wish to avoid adverse events associated with flea preventatives. But I’ll be happy to take over that department.
Talk to your veterinarian about the risks and benefits of flea preventatives before you use them. Don’t buy the cheapest preventatives. Use the preventatives according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Don’t assume that natural preventatives are any safer than synthetics. Garlic, a common ingredient in natural products, is potentially toxic to pets.
Finally, keep things in perspective. It is tragic when a pet loses its life to an adverse reaction to any sort of product. But remember that fleas have killed far more pets than even the worst of the flea preventatives. Fleas have also killed millions of people-it is estimated that in 1400 alone fleas killed 125,000,000 residents of Europe.
Flea preventatives may not be perfectly safe, but fleas are very dangerous as well.
“
(Via Vet Blog: Information and Advice from Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM.)
Last night a colleague told me about a recent case.
