Floating ‘Wheelchairs’ Like These Help Sick Fish with Buoyancy Problems Stay Upright

This is the most adorable animal wheelchair we’ve ever seen. An image has surfaced of a goldfish in a sling, which people are calling a ‘goldfish wheelchair,’ designed to keep her afloat and upright.

‘Fish wheelchairs’ (or slings or buoys – call them what you will) like these are used to help fish swim upright while they recover from swim bladder infections that make it difficult for them to do so on their own. 

Green peas can help solve buoyancy issues related to constipation, but infected swim bladders or other issues may require specialized medication. Always consult your vet!

Using a simple cork, this owner saved his fish’s life

Floating ‘wheelchairs’ like these help sick fish stay upright

Swim bladder infections or constipation can make it hard or impossible to swim with balance

There are professional veterinary versions, too!

Atlanta Falcon Player, Prince Shembo Who 'Kicked Ex-Girlfriend's Dog to Death' Claims He Was Acting in Self-Defense

The lawyer for the waived Atlanta Falcons player who was arrested for aggravated animal cruelty after his ex-girlfriend's dog died from blunt force trauma said the 250lb player was defending himself.

Prince Shembo turned himself in on Friday after Gwinnett County police obtained a felony warrant for the who 'kicked ex-girlfriend's tiny Yorkie to death' claims he was acting in self-defense player's arrest earlier in the day after Denicia Williams, 20, called police on April 19.

His attorney, Jerry Froelich, said the linebacker was bit in the hand by Williams' dog, a Yorkie named Dior, when he was putting it in a cage and he kicked the defenseless animal as a reflex. 

Froelich told reporters outside of Gwinnett County jail his client was crying after what happened, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

He said: “He got bit and he made a mistake and kicked the dog.

It's a small dog and unfortunately that's what happened.

He didn't mean to kill the dog.

You see the size of it. When you're a small dog, it doesn't take much with the size [Shembo] is.”

He's disappointed. It's devastating to him. When I first met him he was in tears.”

Dior suffered numerous injuries - including a fractured rib, fractured liver, abdominal hemorrhage, thoracic hemorrhage, head trauma and a hemorrhage in the left eye with internal injuries - but Froelich would not comment about the number of times the dog was kicked.

The Falcons acted swiftly after the warrant was announced and waived the young linebacker.

The organization said: “We are aware of the charges that have been filed against Prince Shembo.

We are extremely disappointed that one of our players is involved in something like this.

Accordingly, we have decided to waive Prince Shembo.”

Another former Falcons player, quarterback Michael Vick, ended up serving time in federal prison for his involvement in an organized dog-fighting ring when he was a member of the team. 

Shembo's attorney speculated that was the reason the team cut him so quickly.

Froelich said: “With the history that's gone on in this town...

The Falcons were in a little bit different position than most teams.

If you were someplace else, I don't know.”

Vick returned to the NFL after serving his time and played for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets.

Before the arrest, Williams said she had taken Dior to Shembo's apartment on April 15 and that after she left the dog alone with the 23-year-old player, she came back and the animal was unresponsive.

She took the dog to an animal hospital, where he died a short time later.

Shembo told her the next day he had kicked the dog and she broke up with him.

He is 6-foot-2 and weighs 254 pounds, according to the Falcons' website.

The aggravated cruelty charge carries a minimum of one year in prison and a maximum sentence of five years, as well as a fine of up to $15,000.

The body of the dog underwent a necropsy at the Gwinnett County Animal Shelter.

The results on the deceased dog came in on May 28 and investigators revealed 'Dior had significant internal injuries and the cause of death was blunt force trauma'.

Gwinnett County police said they obtained the warrant for Shembo 'because of the inconsistencies of the suspect's account of what happened and the results of the necropsy'.

The second-year player was investigated for allegedly sexually assaulting a Saint Mary's College freshman in his dorm room in 2010 while he was playing linebacker for Notre Dame.

The alleged victim killed herself ten days later by overdosing on antidepressants and Shembo was never charged,

The fourth-round pick said after the draft: “Pretty much it was an unfortunate event.

My name was pretty much cleared.

It's behind me now. I just want to focus on playing football for the Atlanta Falcons.”

Shembo recorded 59 tackles in 16 games for the Falcons last season.

With Outdoor Activity Season in Full Swing: Insects Can Carry Nasty Diseases

Bugs bite. And when they do, they can make us miserable, itchy, bumpy – and, occasionally, very sick.

With outdoor activity season in full swing, here's what you need to know.

Insects can carry nasty diseases.

Most people who get a few mosquito or tick bites will not get sick. But some mosquitoes and ticks can carry bacteria and viruses that cause serious human illnesses – and some of those illnesses have recently become more common in the United States.

Take West Nile Virus. That mosquito-borne illness came to the United States in 1999. Since then, more than 17,000 cases have been reported, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While typical symptoms include headaches, joint pains and rashes, a few people have serious neurologic symptoms and some die.

A newer threat: chikungunya, another viral disease spread by mosquitoes. In 2014, nearly 2,500 cases were reported on the U.S. mainland, mostly among people bitten while travelling. But 11 people were infected by mosquitoes in Florida. While chikungunya rarely kills, it can cause severe joint pain that lasts for months.

Then there's Lyme disease, caused by a bacteria spread by ticks. The CDC has been tracking that disease since 1991, and says there are about 30,000 reported cases each year, but that the real number is likely ten times bigger.

Your risk depends largely on where you live (or travel).

About 96% of confirmed Lyme cases occur in just 13 states, clustered in the Northeast and Midwest, CDC says.

And the mosquitoes that carry chikungunya are tropical species, meaning only southern areas need to watch for local outbreaks, says Jonathan Day, a professor of medical entomology at the University of Florida. The fact that people in the United States spend so much time inside, with air conditioning and screened windows, may help prevent big outbreaks, he says.

Mosquitoes that can carry West Nile do live throughout the United States. But local conditions determine where epidemics catch fire, Day says. For example, a 2012 outbreak near Dallas was spurred by drought – which caused virus-carrying mosquitoes and birds to cluster around scarce water sources. Another outbreak in Arizona was linked to un-drained swimming pools in foreclosed houses abandoned during the recession, he says.

Some people get bit more than others.

It's true: mosquitoes and ticks find some people especially attractive. Scientists disagree on the reasons.

Day says he is convinced it's mostly about carbon dioxide: mosquitoes and ticks find their victims by detecting it and some of us produce more than others. That includes heavier people, pregnant women and exercisers. "The amount of carbon dioxide you produce depends on your metabolic rate," he says.

But Uli Bernier, a research chemist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says he has seen evidence that other factors are at work over many years of exposing people to mosquitoes in his Gainesville, Fla., lab. He's seen different mosquitoes zero in on different people. He's also found that some people (himself included) seem to become more attractive to mosquitoes over time.

What you eat and drink may matter, Day and Bernier agree. Alcohol, in particular, seems to attract mosquitoes, they say. At least one study also suggested smokers were at higher risk – but probably because they spend so much time smoking outside, Day says.

Several repellents work well.

CDC says you want one that includes DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide), picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or a chemical called IR3535.

While DEET products have long been thought the most effective, recent tests by Consumer Reports gave the edge to picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus.

"It was really a surprise," and should be good news to people uneasy with the possible side effects of DEET, says the magazine's senior health and food editor, Sue Byrne.

DEET has been linked with seizures and other serious side effects, mostly in people who swallowed it or applied heavy concentrations.

When used as directed, it's safe, Bernier says: "It's been around 63 years and has a remarkable safety record."

Other strategies can help.

Wear long sleeves, pants, closed shoes and socks for a walk in the woods. You also can also spray a repellent called permethrin on clothing and gear. And check yourself for ticks when you go inside.

For an evening on your patio, try this: sit next to a fan running at high speed. Consumer Reports found that helped repel mosquitoes, and Day says it makes sense: "Mosquitoes do not have an ability to fly in wind conditions much more than 1 mile an hour."

Here's what doesn't work.

Consumer Reports gave thumbs down to:

"Natural" repellent sprays made with plant oils, such as citronella, lemongrass, and rosemary

Wrist bands containing citronella or geraniol oil

Citronella candles

The American Academy of Pediatrics adds these to the ineffective list:

• Garlic
• Vitamin B1 supplements
• Bug zappers (they may actually attract insects)
• Ultrasonic devices

Pig Named ‘Pig’ on the Loose from a Farm in Detroit

Fridays are for farm animals. For the second week in a row, a police department in metro Detroit has rounded up a farm animal - this time it's a big pig!

The pig, named Pig, had somehow gotten loose and was on the run.

The Shelby Township Police Department got the call Thursday to a report of a pig running loose near 24 Mile and Wolf Drive (sweet irony!). The responding officers arrived, wrangled Pig and eventually got him into the cop car!

That was apparently the easy part. He left a huge mess in the backseat of the cruiser, because, you know, he's a pig! That's what they do! You'd probably be this happy looking too if you left that mess for someone else to clean up!

The good news is that the owner of the pig picked it up from the station and even cleaned out the police car.

The calls started coming into central dispatch at about 7:00 p.m. Thursday. A pig had escaped from her pen on 24 Mile Road.

The humor was not lost on Deputy Chief Mark Coil.

"I've heard them all," he said. "Pigs and pigs, pigs capturing bacon, what's for dinner.

"Shelby Township has that 'Ark-feel' - we seem to have animals at large of all types and varieties."

A dog pole was used to direct the pig into the police car where it made a mess.

It became a biohazard relatively quickly," Coil said. "Luckily for the department and the officers the owner volunteered and cleaned the car for us."

"I just want to say thanks to the Shelby Township police for getting the pig and not writing me a ticket for having poop in the car," said owner Brian Davis.

Davis said he plans on bringing coffee and doughnuts to the officers who helped return his prized pet.