The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too The Pet Tree House - Where Pets Are Family Too

Thursday, June 25, 2015

A Police Dog from Alabama Died After His Handler Accidentally Left Him in a Patrol Car on a Hot Day


A police dog from Alabama died after his handler accidentally Left him in a patrol car on a hot day when temperatures reached up to 87F.

Mason, three, was left in the backseat of Corporal Josh Coleman's car on Thursday during a hurricane preparation conference in Gulf Shores.

The Gulf Shores Police Department Facebook page shared a photograph of Mason inside the conference center prior to his untimely death.

Temperatures in the area on Thursday were an average of 84F with a high of 87F, according to Weather Underground.

Mason served as the community relations dog for Gulf Shores Police. The department shared a pictured of Mason on its Facebook page just hours before Mason was locked inside the sweltering police vehicle.

"We are at the City of Gulf Shores - Municipal Government Hurricane 
Preparedness Expo! We will be here until 2:00 p.m. Swing by and register for a free coffee mug and say HI to Officer Mason!" the Facebook post said.

Fox reports Mason served as the Community Relations dog for Gulf Shores Police and that the department recently celebrated the pooch’s third birthday on June 9.

Police say because Mason wasn't an enforcement k-9, Coleman's car wasn't equipped with heat alarms, water bowls and other protective measures that would exist in a K-9 handler's vehicle.

When Coleman found Mason in the car, he was in dire shape and seriously dehydrated. Coleman rushed Mason to a vet and the dog was later transferred to an advanced animal facility in Pensacola.

The beloved dog died on Friday at around 11:00 p.m. despite showing some minor improvements that morning.

No criminal charges are being filed but the city and the department are enforcing 'sanctions' against Coleman.

This situation has been devastating for Cpl. Coleman and his family and we hope that they are able to work through their understandable emotions.

"This is a tragic occurrence that has left the entire organization mourning a terrible loss.

It also illustrates how easy it is to become distracted, and how quickly heat can affect those that we love that are particularly vulnerable to it

Please keep this in mind when transporting children, pets, or the elderly," said the police department in a statement.

Mason was a popular dog with the police department and they often posted photos of him to their Facebook page carrying out ‘canine police duties.’

In April they posted a photo of Mason with the department Telecommunicator Natalie Wilson.

"Officer Mason presented Natalie with a certificate to recognize her dedicated service to the community and support of GSPD operations in the field. Please join us in thanking Natalie for a job well done!," said the post from April 17.

Mason worked with the Department since last November as a public relations dog and a therapy dog for victims of crime. 

Sadly this is not the first time this year that a police officer has left a dog to die in a hot car. In May, two police dogs died after their handler apparently left them in his vehicle for hours as temperatures reached as high as 86F (30C).

Hialeah police officer Nelson Enriquez drove to his Davie, Florida, home early on Wednesday following his midnight shift and left the dogs inside his marked police car in his driveway.

He found Jimmy, a seven-year-old bloodhound, and Hector, a four-year-old Belgian Malinois, dead inside the vehicle around 7:00 p.m.

In a further tragic twist, Jimmy was donated to the police department by the father of a nine-year-old murder victim to assist with missing children investigations, according to a 2009 NBC Miami report.

The bloodhound, who was five months old at the time, was donated by Don Ryce whose son, Jimmy, was abducted a block from his home, raped and then murdered in 1995.

The child's killer, Juan Carlos Chavez, was sentenced to death for the murder.



Left in a hot car: Mason, 3, died last Friday after being left in the backseat of Corporal Josh Coleman's car on Thursday during a hurricane preparation conference in Gulf Shores.



Earlier that day: The Gulf Shores Police Department Facebook page shared a photograph of Mason inside the conference center just hours before he was left to cook in the heat.


Birthday dog: Mason served as the Community Relations dog for the Gulf Shores Police Department who celebrated the pooch’s third birthday on June 9.





Public relations: In April the department posted a photo of Mason congratulating the department telecommunicator Natalie Wilson on her achievements.

Holiday time: Mason was present as the police department helped out with a holiday teddy bear drive.


Part of the police family: Mason worked with the department since November as a public relations dog and a therapy dog for victims of crime.



The beloved department dog died on Friday at around 11pm despite showing some minor improvements that morning
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Heartbreaking Story: Man Returns Home from Work, Finds a Note on His Doorstep: “My Dog is in Your Backyard, I Cannot Afford Her”


When Houston resident Quincy Bui returned home from work one day, he found a note on his doorstep. The note read: “My dog is in your backyard. I cannot afford her. My husband beats her and I can't let her live with us. I love her too much. Her name is Ruben-May. Thank you."

According to KHOU News, when Bui checked his backyard, he found the abandoned dog, who was suffering from a skin condition and appeared to have been abused. Bui checked his security footage and saw the whole incident unfold on camera.

The footage shows a pickup truck parking outside of Bui’s Houston home and a man getting out with the dog under his arm. The man walks up to the front door and around to the back yard, where he leaves the dog. He then drives away.

“It’s just one of those crazy things,” Bui told reporters. “I don’t know what type of person would do this.”

Bui called animal control and Ruben May was taken to a local shelter. Bui also called the police in hopes of tracking down the person who abandoned the dog in the yard.

So far, the man on the camera has not been identified. For now, Ruben May is waiting patiently at the animal shelter for someone to give her a loving home.


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Bear Sighting Near Fairfax County Virginia Playground


Vienna, Virginia - A young bear wandered past a playground on Monday. The sighting was reported to police at about 1:00 p.m. on Trap Road. No humans came close to the bear.


This is the time of year when young bears leave their mothers to fend for themselves. Many wander into populated areas.

This was not the first bear sighting in our region. Several have been spotted in Montgomery County and at least two in Fairfax County.

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Ocean City, Maryland: Hammerhead Shark Spotted Near the Beach


A Photographer was taking wedding photos Wednesday near 36th Street in Ocean City when he heard yelling coming from a few blocks away.

"You could just see a pretty big fin," he said.

It happened shortly after 5 p.m., when lifeguards are off duty, but Denny said within 10 minutes guards responded to the area and the water was cleared. The Ocean City Beach Patrol became aware of the shark at that time and was able to identify it as a hammerhead, Captain Butch Arbin said Thursday.

"Yesterday we had something come into the surf — and that can really be anything when we first see it, like it can be a whale carcass, a turtle, a log, or in this case, a shark — so we moved people away from the area and are monitoring it at this time," Arbin said.

The Beach Patrol is still monitoring the area between 22nd and 52nd streets.

"We don't want people infringing on the marine mammal, and we don't want it to hurt anyone, either," Arbin said. "It sounds funny but, to us, this is normal procedure for anything that enters the surf zone that usually isn't there."

Arbin said the shark's activities were unusual because it entered and left the surf zone twice.

"We're not sure if it tried to beach itself, but it stayed in the surf zone 'til dark last night," Arbin said.

If the shark beaches itself, the patrol would notify personnel with the National Aquarium and the Department of Natural Resources, who they have already been in contact with.

Denny is also a surf instructor, and he said it's not unusual for him to see smaller sand sharks along the coast. But seeing what he called a large hammerhead close to the shore in about 2 feet of water was surprising he said.

"It's pretty rare," he said.

According the Denny, more than 100 people gathered to watch the shark Wednesday.

This sighting comes two days after a dead hammerhead washed ashore in Fenwick Island, and three days after another hammerhead gave birth while beached in Ocean City. It is unclear if those events are related, because the shark was buried but not examined.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2015

House Cat Seems Unfazed by a Giant Mountain Lion Outside Window


A mountain lion approaches a window and sees a pet cat. The brave kitty doesn’t seem to care, and even turns his back on the lion. The lion hears people talking and decides he’d better leave.


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Elderly Street Dog with Massive Tumor Rescued: Needs Donations to Help with Surgery Cost


Remember Ricky (Charlie), the dog who spent 10 years livingin a New York City park?  Well, the group who rescued him has rescued another senior dog – this time an 11- to 12-year-old female who had a massive tumor on her abdomen.  The growth has been removed, and she is now recovering, but her battle isn’t over yet.

If you would like to make a donation to help Domingo, please click here: Save Domingo - Upper Manhattan Dog

Our group just rescued another dog that lived on the streets of Upper Manhattan for 11 or 12 years. Her name is Domingo.

She is in desperate need of surgery for a huge tumor the size of a soccer ball on one of her legs.

The same group of people who recently saved another feral dog, Ricky, found out about Domingo about a month ago, and started looking for ways to capture her.

A school teacher from the Bronx was driving by the area, noticed the stray dog, and immediately reached out to a number of rescue groups for help. Only one person agreed to help. It was Linda. Linda, a long-time animal lover and rescuer, mother of two adorable girls, found time in her busy schedule to come and try to catch the dog from Long Island to the Bronx several times a day for weeks. She managed to put a leash on Domingo yesterday.

Now Domingo is in the care of vets and needs to undergo a very complicated surgery for removal of the tumor.

All the funds collected by this page will go directly to the rescue group.

The Rescue group website is: Almost Home Animal Rescue & Adoption, Inc.

The group has a Paypal account as well published on the web page.
Many thanks to all for your kindness and care!

Please share and help with a donation if you can. No amount is too small.
Thank you.


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Monday, June 22, 2015

Tiger, a Young German Shepherd Surrendered by Owner: Looking for Loving Forever Home – Read His Story


On June 13, a handsome young shepherd named "Tiger" was loaded into a car and taken for a ride...unfortunately, the destination was not the park, it was the Chicago Animal Care and Control facility in Illinois. Today, the 11-month-old German shepherd is wondering why he is locked away behind bars, and why his person is no longer by his side.

On Thursday, the volunteer-run Facebook page, CACC Transfer Team, notified their page followers that the young dog is "timid" while kenneled, but he becomes more puppy-like once he is taken out of the cage. 

According to the shelter volunteers, Tiger loves to chase tennis balls and he already knows how to sit on command. The volunteers also noted that Tiger is "very personable and affectionate."

Please take a moment to network on Tiger's behalf - he should be chasing after tennis balls, not sitting in a lonely kennel run. Tiger's identification number A131202.

For adoption information, click HERE. 

If you would like to make a donation for the homeless cats and dogs at Chicago Animal Care & Control (CACC), click HERE. 

Animal Care and Control
Phone: 312.747.1406
Fax: 312.747.1409
2741 S. Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60608

Please Share Tiger!
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Monday, June 15, 2015

Fish Are Falling from the Sky in Alaska: Sea Gulls Are picking up Squirmy Fish and Dropping Them in Surprising and Unlikely Places


"The local Value Village store found a live lamprey in their parking lot," ADF&G reported on its Facebook page. "Another resident called and said he found one on his lawn!"

It was surely a scary surprise. Looking more like eels or snakes than regular fish, lampreys don't have scales or fins and can grow to 15 inches long. Instead of jaws, an adult lamprey has a disk-like mouth filled with small, sharp teeth.

Adults clamp their mouths onto other fish, then use their teeth and tongues to rasp through its scales and skin to feed on its blood and fluids. The lamprey releases and drops off after the meal. Some fish die from the attacks, but in many cases they survive, according to the Fish and Game department.

"Commercial and subsistence fishers throughout Alaska are quite familiar with the tell-tale, dime-sized circular scars on salmon and trout that have been fed upon by lampreys." Reportedly, lampreys are a tasty catch in their own right.

Needless to say, the fish is not usually found on land. In fact, most people have never seen the elusive fish up close. Lampreys are born in fresh water, then move to the ocean as adults. They return to their rivers of birth to spawn, including the Chena River, which runs along the south side of Fairbanks.

Wildlife officials believe sea gulls are picking up the squirmy fish there, only to drop them later in surprising and unlikely places. So far, four lamprey have been found on land.











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Did You Know That Lovebirds Are Very Social, Come from the Drier Regions of Africia…and Make Perfect Pets?


Lovebirds are active, cheerful and beautifully decorative. These petite 'pocket' parrots are very intriguing! Lovebirds come from the drier regions of Africa. Because they evolved from a very harsh environment, they are very suited to captivity. Not only do they have a good disposition, these charming, brilliantly colored little pets are very hardy and easy to care for. They can also provide you with a successful breeding experience.

In the wild lovebirds live in flocks. They will often bond with a mate for life and show fierce loyalty and affection to their family. If you can earn their affections as young birds, you will receive that same fierce loyalty from your little friends. They are very social with both their keepers and their mate.

The rewards of keeping a single lovebird can be astonishing. The amazingly determined spirit of a pet lovebird can far surpass other small parrots, both in their ability to learn tricks and to show affection. But because of their strong devotion, a lovebird kept singly will require vast amounts of time and affection in return in order to thrive.

Lovebirds also won't easily switch loyalties from one companion to another, whether it is to another bird or to another human. On the other hand, unless they are very attached to their keeper, lovebirds are not going to learn a lot of tricks or necessarily want to have a lot of handling.

If you simply want to enjoy the antics and chatter of these colorful little birds, get two to keep in an indoor cage. Or you can get more to keep in an aviary. They are very flamboyant, and are wonderful birds to observe and enjoy.

Distribution
Lovebirds belong to the genus Agapornis. There are nine species of lovebirds and they are all native to Africa except one. The exception is the Grey-headed Lovebird which comes from the island of Madagascar. Most lovebirds live close to the equator where they inhabit dry savannah regions. There is one exception, a forest dwelling lovebird, the Black-collared Lovebird.

Description
The lovebird is a small stocky parrot mostly between 5.1-6.7 inches (13-17 cm). They have a large bill and a tail that is either round or square. Their average life span is between 10-12 years with some living even longer. The lovebird has been recorded at 17 years and several people have reported their birds living even longer than that. We had one person state that their lovebird lived for 25 years!
  
The different species of lovebird are identifiable by their colors and markings. They vary greatly in their coloring, and each species can be viewed for their unique combinations. Younger birds are duller in color and they have black in their beaks. The young birds coloring intensifies as they reach maturity. Regardless of the species, mature lovebirds are gorgeous parrots.

Three of the nine lovebird species are most commonly available lovebirds for pets. The other six are more rare, and in some cases, absent at least in the United States. The three common species are the Peach-faced Lovebirds, the Masked Lovebirds, and the Fischer's Lovebirds, and all three make wonderful pets. There are a variety of color mutations in lovebirds, developed from these three common species. This is especially true for the Peach-faced Lovebird, which can be bred in hundreds of different combinations of mutations. As a result, there are many new lovebird colors available.

A wide variety of lovebirds can be found in the pet industry and from breeders. Some lovebirds and lovebird mutations that are commonly available include:


Care and feeding
In the wild, lovebirds feed on seeds, berries, fruits, grains, grasses, leaf buds, and agricultural crops of corn, maize and figs. Their food and water dishes are best if earthenware or porcelain as they will get gnawed if plastic.

Bird Food
Foods available for Lovebirds include formulated diets, either pelleted or extruded, seed only diets, and small parrot mixes which offer a mixture of both. There are pros and cons to feeding only a formulated diet as well as feeding only a seed diet.

Formulated Diet
A formulated diet provides a good nutritional base so does not require the addition of vitamins. However it does not contain the phytonutrients (antioxidant pigments) that are found in vegetables, fruits, grains, and seeds. Phytonutrients are believed to boost the immune system, help a body to heal itself, and to prevent some diseases. Also, parrots can become bored with formulated diet due to the lack of variety.

Seed Diet
A seed only diet offers much more variety but requires additional vitamin and calcium supplements. Lovebirds need not only nutritional requirements met but also variety for psychological enrichment.

A lovebirds's diet will consist of 1 1/2 to 2 ounces (45-60 grams) of feed daily for a single bird. A diet consisting of a small parrot mix along with a variety of supplements and vitamins is generally regarded as suitable. Also a formulated diet along with greens, fruits, and vegetable supplements but without additional vitamins is also regarded as suitable, and is a more current trend.

Supplements
Supplements include fresh vegetables, greens, tree branches for the bark, some fruits, and millet spray. Some of the fruit supplements include berries, apples, grapes, pears, bananas, and kiwi. Some of the greens and vegetable supplements include spinach, endive, watercress, chickweed, radish, parsley, dandelions, carrot tops, corn on the cob, peas, endive, field lettuce, and various garden herbs.

Additional proteins can be offered such as nuts. Try some unshelled peanuts as well as hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and chestnuts.

A cuttlebone, or gravel and oyster shell in a separate dish can be offered to provide calcium. Do not feed avocado as it can be toxic to birds!

Vitamins can be added to the food or drinking water.

Water
Lovebirds drink a lot of water, so will need fresh drinking water every day.

Bird Baths
Most lovebirds love a bath either in a flat earthenware dish or by spraying them with a light mist of lukewarm water. If you use a bathing dish, you will see the birds perch on the edge and dip their heads and upper bodies in the water and beating their wings. They prefer this kind of bath to getting into the water.

Bird Grooming
Lovebirds generally maintain their nails and beaks on their own through climbing and chewing. Another good use they make of their tree branches.
You can find bird seed, bird cages, and everything you need for your pet here: Bird Supplies

Housing
Lovebirds are very active birds. When housing your lovebird, bird cages or an aviary best suited to them must provide a lot of space.

Bird Cages:    A minimum of 32 x 20 x 20 (81 x 50 x 50 cm) per pair of birds is recommended with about four perches, feed and water dishes and an area for a bath. When you use a small cage, you must let your pet out daily to fly around.

If you are housing pairs of lovebirds here are a few guidelines: Try to house only one species of lovebird as mixing species can cause serious fights. House either one pair of lovebirds or three pairs, never two pairs or there will be fighting. Each pair needs about 35 cubic feet of space.

Bird Perch
Provide one or two perches about 3/4' in diameter and dishes hanging from the side for feed, water, and grit. Try to place the perches away from dishes so the food and water dish do not become soiled with bird droppings.    Do not use plastic because your bird will chew and break the plastic and it can become hazardous. Tree branches of a similar size make good perches and will help to wear the claws down naturally.

Bird Hide / Nest Box
Lovebirds like special resting places. Nest boxes placed up high, all at the same level and all of the same type work well and help prevent fights.

Aviary
A roomy indoor aviary, a bird room, or an outdoor aviary (depending on your area) are all good choices. The aviary needs plenty of light and fresh air. The outdoor aviary needs to have a protected shelter that can be heated and cooled where necessary. Flights are recommended to be a minimum of 6' x 6' x 3' (183 x 183 x 91 cm) with plenty of perches or branches at least 1 1/2" (15 cm) thick.

Maintenance
It is important For the health of your lovebird, it is important to keep bird houses and accessories clean and in good shape. Basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Weekly you should clean and disinfect the cage. Wash and completely dry the perches and toys whenever they become soiled. In the aviary, sand floors should be renewed annually.

Social Behaviors
Lovebirds as pets, as well as in the wild, are very social birds. Generally and in most situations, it is thought to be essential for their good health and happiness that they be kept in pairs, not singly. If keeping a single lovebird, you must provide the necessary social interaction that it is missing from another bird. These birds develop fierce loyalties to their keeper or their mate.

Aside from their social nature toward you or their mate, lovebirds can be extremely aggressive towards other birds. You must be certain that all pairs get along together, and that they are true "pairs", not mismatched. Bonded pairs constantly groom each other and will feed each other from the crop during breeding season and all year round.

These little birds will chatter all day long. They will hide in their nest box if they are startled by a sudden noise, if they spot a potential predator, or if it gets cold and windy.

Handling/Training
Lovebird training is best accomplished with a young bird. To have a tame lovebird, its also best to work with a single bird. Young birds have an amazing ability to learn tricks and be affectionate. Adults on the other hand, are very difficult to tame and generally won't learn a lot of tricks or imitate behaviors. Hand-raised youngsters are easiest to work with. They are already quite socialized and tame, but unfortunately they are not always available.

Taming involves acceptance and trust between you and your bird. It means spending a lot of time with your bird daily. Start with talking softly and making slow movements. Once your bird is comfortable with you, then you can begin hand-taming. Use a dowel and push it gently against the bird’s chest while offering a treat to coax it up onto the dowel. This may take many tries. Once it is comfortable with stepping up onto a dowel, substitute your finger for the dowel.

Lovebirds are not considered one of the best talkers, and only some may learn a few words.

Activities
Lovebirds awaken with the dawn, get a drink, eat, and then immediately begin to chirp. They will generally quiet down by mid-morning and resume their chirping in the late afternoon.

These birds are very active, flying and climbing about, gnawing on wood or chew toys, and grooming themselves many times all day. They love toys of all kinds such as seed bells, swings, ladders, mirrors, shiny objects, and wooden gnaws. A lovebird outside of it's cage will not stay on it's playpen, they like to explore. Be sure this room is safe with no open doors or windows, no toxic plants, no open water containers, and no hot stove.

Breeding/Reproduction
One of the pleasures of lovebirds is that they are easy to breed. For breeding lovebirds, each pair of birds will need 2 nest boxes for sleeping and nesting. These boxes need to be of the same type and size, and placed at the same height on the same wall.

Breeding Lovebirds
Lovebirds will breed willingly as single pairs and some species of lovebirds can be bred in a colony setting. Especially suited to a colony are the white eye-ring group of lovebirds.

Breeding Age for Lovebirds
Lovebirds need to be at least 10 months old, though 12 to 13 months is better. Also birds that are 5 to 6 years or older should be retired from breeding.

Sexing Lovebirds
Some visual characteristics that may aid in determining sex are that the female is heavier bodied than the male and will sit more broadly with legs apart, while the males sit more upright. A female’s tail will appear more square while a males will appear more rounded. When observing the nesting behavior, the female will do most of the nest building work.

An anal inspection can be done but takes experience in sexing these birds to make a fair determination. Basically there are two bones called the ossa pubes on the ventral side of the pelvis and the female will be spread wider apart than the male.

The sexing of lovebirds falls into three categories

Dimorphic Types
The first group are different in their outward appearance and can be classified as dimorphic.
This first group consists of:

Abyssinian Lovebird Agapornis toranta
Madagascar Lovebird Agapornis cana
Red-faced Lovebird Agapornis pullaria

Intermediate Types
The second or intermediate group are harder to differentiate by appearance.
This group consists of:

Peach-faced Lovebirds Agapornis reseicollis
Black-collared Lovebird Agapornis swinderniana

Monomorphic Types

In the third group, the white eye-ring group, there are no definite differences that can be seen. The sexing of the white eye-ring group must be determined by either a surgical probe, endoscopy, which can be done by many veterinarians or by a DNA testing, usually a blood sample or a few plucked feathers sent to be diagnosed in a lab.

In the white eye-ring group are the:

Masked Lovebirds Agapornis personata personata
Fischer's Lovebirds Agapornis personata fisheri
Nyasa Lovebird Agapornis personata lilianae
Black-cheeked Lovebird Agapornis personata nigrigenis.

Breeding Environment
If you are breeding lovebirds in a colony setting, it is very important to provide many more nest boxes than their are pairs of birds to minimize fighting. The nest boxes should all be the same and mounted at the same height of the enclosure. Also, be diligent in watching for fighting as it can lead to death.

A nest box for a lovebird is 8" x 8" x 8" (20 x 20 x 20 cm) or 10" x 6" x 6" (25 x 15 x 15 cm).

Egg Laying and Hatchlings
The female will lay about 5 eggs, though the clutch could be as few as 3 eggs or as many as 8 eggs. The incubation period is 22 - 25 days, with 75% to 80% of the eggs hatching. The hen will start to brood after the second egg is hatched. Often the male will join the hen in the nest. The chicks will begin to leave the nest in about 38 - 50 days and will be independent about 2 weeks after leaving the nest.

Potential Problems
Lovebird ailments, signs of illness to be aware of, include if a bird seems withdrawn, its feathers are ruffled and the plumage is dull, it sits with its eyes closed, watery or dull eyes, runny nose, it sleeps a lot, it looses interest in its environment, and it stays at its feed cup. The droppings may change color and be loose (if healthy they are grayish white and not to thin). A couple other lovebird ailments to watch for are a lot of tail bobbing, dropping off its perch, odd breathing, sneezing, and excessive scratching.
  
Some of the common lovebird ailments, illnesses your lovebirds could contract, are injuries from fighting, Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease, Polyoma Virus Infection, yeast infections (Candidiasis), Avian Pox Virus Infection, bacterial infections, internal parasites, mites, ticks, egg binding, intestinal influenza, coccidiosis, respiratory ailments, and diarrhea. An ailing parrot should be taken to a avian veterinarian for diagnosis and treatment.

Availability
The most available types of lovebirds for sale are the Peach-faced Lovebird, the Masked Lovebird, and the Fischer's Lovebirds. There are many beautiful lovebird mutations developed from these three groups of birds that are also readily available. Many other species of lovebird are available but not be as readily found. Lovebirds are also fairly inexpensive little parrots.

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Caitlyn the Dog Who Suffered Grotesque Injuries After Her Snout Was Taped Shut with Electrical Tape is on the Mend


A 15-month-old dog named Caitlyn that was found with her snout taped shut so tightly she needed surgery is doing well and does not require additional procedures, animal society officials said.

Charleston Animal Society officials announced Friday that Caitlyn, a stray dog found in North Charleston, South Carolina in May, does not require additional surgery to her mutilated snout.

In a Facebook post on the society's page, an administrator wrote that a veterinarian concluded that the dog's original incisions are healed.

The dog, a Chocolate Staffie Mix, was found on a doorstep with the electrical tape wrapped tightly around her muzzle, Fox Carolina reports.

The person took the dog to the society and Caitlyn, listed in critical condition, underwent surgery to repair her cheek and lips.

Court documents state that when Caitlyn was taken in, her snout was swollen and her tongue was swollen, bruised, discolored and oozing blood, Fox reports.

Officials said Caitlyn's tongue had no blood flow since it became stuck between her teeth due to the tight tape wrapping.

A vet earlier in the week said that the pooch would need additional surgery to treat a wound underneath her chin, but declared on Friday that it would not be necessary.

William Leonard Dodson, 41, was arrested and charged with animal cruelty on June 4 in the case of the abused dog.
  
His bail was set at $50,000 and he was ordered to surrender a second dog he owned at his residence, police told Fox.

Court documents stated that Dodson bought the dog at the end of May for $20 and told the woman he bought it from that he had taped the dog's snout because she wouldn't stop barking.

Dodson, who laughed about the claim, reportedly also told the woman that he chained the dog in his front yard but the pooch broke free and escaped, Fox reports, citing an affidavit. 

According to society officials, the tape may have been wrapped for between 36 and 48 hours.

For more information on the Charleston Animal Society, you can check out their website, and if you are interested in donating to Toby's Fund, click HERE. 


You can read the timeline stories about Caitlyn here:









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