Cardiopulmonary Arrest in Cats

Also known as circulatory arrest or cardiopulmonary arrest, cardiac arrest is the cessation of normal blood circulation ceases due to the heart's inability to contract (heart failure). Like many other body systems, the respiratory and cardiovascular systems work in a coordinated fashion. Therefore, if a cat fails to breathe for more than six minutes, it can lead to heart failure and cardiac arrest -- both of which can be fatal. Cardiac arrest can occur in cats of any age, sex, or breed.

Symptoms and Types

Blood circulation may remain intact if the animal resumes breathing within four minutes of the initial problem. However, if it lasts longer than six minutes it can lead to cardiac arrest. Common symptoms associated with this emergency include:

To read more on this story, click here: Cardiopulmonary Arrest in Cats

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Canary Bird Information

The Canary bird is set aside from other pet birds because of their beautiful singing ability.

Canaries are known for their beauty and their song and have been kept as pets since the 1400s. They are not companion birds and are better admired from afar, but this doesn’t make them any less of a great pet. They do spend a lot of time in their cages, so you need an adaquately sized cage with perches on either end to provide them with maximum flying space.

If you want a Canary that sings, you will need to find a male. If this is very important to you, you should arrange ahead of time with the breeder to be able to return the bird if it proves to not be a singer. Keep in mind that males sing to attract females, so they should not be kept in pairs. They also don’t sing in the summer because it is molting season. We have also heard to not put mirrors in their cages because Canaries are very territorial and they may see this “second bird” as a threat.

The most commonly kept Canary birds are the American Singer, the Border Fancy, and the Red Factor. The American Singer is a song Canary (well known for singing), the Border Fancy is a type Canary (a popular type), and the Red Factor is a color Canary (well known for color–the more red, the more valuable).

To read more on this story, click here: Canary Bird Information

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The Lifecycle of a Butterfly

Butterflies go through a life cycle. A butterfly has four stages in its life cycle. Each stage is different. Each stage also has a different goal. A butterfly becoming an adult is called metamorphosis. The life cycle process can take a month to year. It depends on the type of butterfly.


Stage 1: Eggs

In the first stage a girl butterfly lays eggs. A butterfly first starts out as an egg. A girl butterfly lays the eggs on a leaf. She lays the eggs really close together. The eggs are really small and round. About five days after the eggs are laid. A tiny worm-like creature will hatch from the egg.

To read more on this story, click here: The Lifecycle of a Butterfly



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How to Raise Butterflies

Look out your window and see a beautiful butterfly flutter past you. Amazingly, such beauty originated from an inch long, garden dwelling caterpillar that probably feasted on your prized roses. As you stare longingly at the butterfly, you think to yourself, "If only there were another way." And then it hits you – "Raise them myself!"

Prepare a well-ventilated container. Containers for caterpillars can be found in hobby and pet shops, on the Internet, or you can fashion one from items around the home. Preferably this should be one made from wire mesh, to give the caterpillar something to cling to. An aquarium or a one-gallon jar can work, too, provided it's lined with a screen or cheesecloth tightened with a rubber band at the top.

Don't use jar lids with holes in them, however, as these don't provide adequate ventilation and can also cut the delicate caterpillars with sharp edges around the holes.

Put a two inch layer of dirt and grass on the bottom of every container if you think your caterpillar may pupate below ground. If not, a layer of paper towels or newspaper will do fine.

To read more on this story, click here: How to Raise Butterflies

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Shelter Seeks Home For Sweet Dog Who’s Been There For Nearly 4 Years

Ginger the dog doesn’t have a bad life at the Paris, Maine, animal shelter where she’s lived for almost four years. She’s beloved by staff and volunteers, and she spends a good amount of time outside the shelter ― including long walks through the woods and trips to McDonald’s, where she enjoys a plain cheeseburger.

“She’s our little princess,” Pat Ingersoll, canine director at Responsible Pet Care of Oxford Hills, told HuffPost.

But after more than 1,450 days, Ginger needs a home of her own.

Ginger has gone viral after the organization wrote a Facebook post detailing how long she’s been looking for an adopter. The post includes a photo of Ginger appearing to look at the camera with pleading eyes, wearing a sign that says, “I have been in the shelter for 1,456 days. Please Adopt Me.”

To read more on this story, click here: Shelter Seeks Home For Sweet Dog Who’s Been There For Nearly 4 Years

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Spook-Free Halloween Safety Tips For Your Pets

MIAMI (CBSMiami) — Halloween can be the spookiest night of the year, but keeping your pets safe doesn’t have to be tricky. There are simple, common sense precautions to keep your pet happy, healthy, and safe for your four-legged family member.

KEEP YOUR PET AT HOME in a safe, quiet room surrounded by his or her favorite bed and toys during Halloween festivities. Do not take them out to trick-or-treat and do not leave them outside in the yard or patio while children are going from house to house.

KEEP PETS AWAY FROM THE DOOR. During trick-or-treating hours pets can easily slip through the door when it’s opened to hand out candy. In addition, dogs may bite children out of fear or nervousness.

To read more on this story, click here: Spook-Free Halloween Safety Tips For Your Pets


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Overcoming The Heartbreak Of Losing Your Dog

This story is about the loss of my little ShihTzu, Sugar who crossed over the "Rainbow Bridge" in 2008.

The loss of a pet can be devastating! I speak from experience. I am Sugar's Mom. I have and always will love animals. I lost my little Sugar on October 2, 2008, just a month before her 12th birthday.. Sugar was a sweet lovable dog. We got her from a pet shop in 1997 at 6 weeks old. She stole my husband the first week! I stayed home with her for about a week to bond with her and to get her use to her new home. She adapted very quickly and was soon running the house...literally! Up and down the stairs, jumping on the couch and she loved to hide and jump out on you! This little dog changed my whole life.

When she was about 2 years old we decided to get her a companion, another shih-tuz. We got a handsome little black and white shih-tzu that we named Domino. They quickly bonded and became inseparable. As I sit and write, I can feel my emotions stirring up as I remember October 2, 2008.

In the months prior to her death Sugar was in and out of the animal hospital. She was coughing a lot and was on medication. I was very careful to give her the medication on time. Nothing seemed to work as she got sicker. She had been put in on oxygen for several hours and finally I was allowed to take her home. I could not sleep for 2 days. When I did sleep, I slept on the sofa with her and Domino's little beds right beside me. I awakened to find her in Domino's bed beside him. She had never done that before. The beds were only designed for one dog, but somehow she had managed to cuddle up with him. That's when my heart began to sink and an overwhelming feeling of sadness consumed me. I knew that she was telling him goodbye.

I gently picked her up and took her upstairs and placed her in my bed next to me. I can remember her eyes where sort of squinting and starring at me. I kissed her and told her that I love her and that she could go now. She had been in so much pain. Every time that she coughed her little body would shake all over. Frightened I carried her downstairs and called to my son. Just as I sat her down all of her legs seemed to give away under her and she when flat on the floor. We rushed her to the animal hospital a few blocks away and waited while they stabilized her. They told me that she was very sick and needed treatment and it would cost approximately $2,000. Once home I can remember looking down at my wedding rings...yes, I was going to sell them if I could to get the money needed for her treatment.

My sister heard of Sugar's illness rushed to my house. I can remember sitting at the table on the Internet trying to find somewhere to sell my wedding rings. When it happened...the phone rang. I saw the words P.G. Animal Hospital come across the phone. I hesitated and my sister kept telling me to answer the phone. I picked it up and a soft voice said, I am so sorry but Sugar has passed. I don't remember what happened next because I collapsed, when I came too I was told that I had grabbed Domino and was squeezing him so tight that someone had to take him out of my arms.

I felt like I was going to die! The pain was one that I had never felt. I thought I was having a heart attack...but soon realized that it was my heartbreaking! I could not eat or sleep for several days. I felt guilty. Although, anyone that knows me would tell you that my dogs had a wonderful life. They had their own love seat that I purchased to put in front of a large window so that they could climb up on the window seal and look out, nice comfortable beds and never missed a vet or groomers appointment. I know that I took good care of Sugar, but I still felt that I should have done more.

The next few days where really hard. The first thing that I notice was there was no barking to go outside. Sugar was the leader and Domino was a follower. She is the one that would bark loud and come and get you if necessary when she wanted to go out. I had sugar cremated. I then turn to God. I asked him to take this pain away, and he did. I asked him to help me deal with this and he did. I went online and went into every blog or chat room I could find to talk with people who are going through a loss, and reading their stories, was a great help. I realized that I was not the only one who was grieving a pet.

You are reading this because you have lost a pet or you have a very ill pet. To comfort you let me just say, I am so sorry for your loss...and yes, I do know what you are going through. I am listing several things that have helped me through my grieving process, and hope that it will help you.

The Pain:

The pain is almost hard to bear, but you will be okay. Cry as much as you need too, believe me this helps. I cried until I had no more tears.

Your Pet's belongings:

Do not immediately get rid of you pet's belongings. You would think looking at their little bowl, toy or blanket is going to make it worst. It is not. The first thing I did was took Sugar's picture off of my screen saver on my computer and bagged her little toys, and other items up and put them in a bag. I felt worst! It was like I was hiding her existence. I put her back on the screen saver and put all of her items in her bed. I gave Domino her blanket. It was hard seeing these items on a daily basis but as time went on I began to accept my loss. it has been over a year now and I have stored her items away. Sugar's cremation box sits in my curio cabinet with the picture that is shown on my profile on it. When you walk by her eyes seem to follow. My husband and I still talk to her. It now brings a smile to my face when I see her looking at me and I thank God for the privilege of having her in my life.

Don't blame yourself!

The guilt can be strong. It was not your fault and you did nothing wrong. Just as we humans were born and will die someday...so will our pets. Just remember that your pet was a gift from God, and will someday return to him. After Sugar's death I could not understand why this happened to me. I had to pull myself out of the guilt and understand that I did nothing wrong. I became very protective of Domino. If he coughed I would rush him to the vet. I was afraid that he was going to die too.

Most importantly

Don't let other's decide how you should grieve. Sometimes people are insensitive to a person's feelings when they have lost a pet. They will say things like, "it was just a dog"! To these people I say as -- Anatole France says:" Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened". I had it said to me a couple of times and it made me furious. My first instinct was to lash out at this person. I politely told them that what they called, "just a dog", was a family member that I loved dearly.

Time does heal

It's true, time does heal. `You will smile again, you will have happy days and you will go on with your life. However, you will never forget your precious pet...and you shouldn't. It took about a month for me to come around. I was really out of it. Every time someone gave me their condolence, I would think about her and cry. I knew that I had to pull myself out of the depression that was slowly creeping up on me. I continued with my daily activities and started giving Domino a lot of attention. The first week after she passed, I would dream about her every night. They would be fun filled dreams with her running and chasing Domino. I would only awaken to realize that she was no longer with me.

The companion left behind

Domino is 2 years younger than Sugar. She was full grown when I got him at about 6 weeks old. She was just like a little momma. She taught him all of her sneaky little begging tricks...and he learned well! A couple of days after she passed he started sniffing around the house and crying a lot. I did not know what to do and called my vet because he started chewing on his leg. I took him in and he explained that he knew she was gone...but did not understand where. You can not explain to a dog that his mate has died. It was touch and go for a few months with him constantly sniffing and looking. He then became very quite no more playing, no barking. My vet said that with time he would get better...and he did. Now he is the boss! I gave him a stuffed dogie to sleep with him and it has helped. We allowed him to sleep in our bed for about 2 weeks after her death. I don't know if it was to comfort me or him.

Should you get another dog?

That decision is strictly up to you. We plan on getting another dog in the future. However, we will be getting a shelter dog. We want to give a good home to a dog in need. It will be a hard choice because I am allergic to dogs. I picked the shih-tzu breed because they don't shed. I will be checking the shih-tzu rescue sites when I am ready to adopt.

Thank you for taking the time to  read my story. I hope that some of this information will help you. 

May god bless you and your pet!
Blog Administrator

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Puppy Eats Yogurt With Spoon

Trying to get an infant or a toddler to eat can be a trying task. Between getting them to sit still and then convincing them that eating strained peas is a wonderful experience – meal time can easily take a full hour! We wish all the small children in our lives would take a page from the little dog in this video.

Wrapped up in a little blanket, just like a human infant, the dog in this video is all set for snack time. His guardian prepares a spoonful of food and the dog knows exactly what to do! There is no need for his guardian to even prompt him to “say ah!” He opens his little mouth and squeals as if he can’t wait to get a big heaping spoonful.





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Google Hires Camel For Desert Street View

It's given us robot cars and internet-enabled glasses -- but when it came to creating a "Street View" of a desert, Google hit on a low-tech solution.

It hired a camel.

The beast has become the first animal to carry Google's Trekker camera, which is typically hoisted by humans to capture 360-degree images of destinations inaccessible to its Street View cars.

Google spokeswoman Monica Baz says the camel, reportedly named Raffia, was an apt way of documenting the beautiful shifting sands of Abu Dhabi's Liwa Oasis.

"With every environment and every location, we try to customize the capture and how we do it for that part of the environment," she told The National newspaper.

"In the case of Liwa we fashioned it in a way so that it goes on a camel so that it can capture imagery in the best, most authentic and least damaging way," Baz said.

The Liwa Oasis is a 100 kilometer-wide (62-mile) scenic desert, southeast of the city of Abu Dhabi that includes some of the world's biggest sand dunes.

To read more on this story, click here: Google Hires Camel For Desert Street View


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Indianapolis Zoo: Male Lion Killed By Mother Of It’s Cubs

A lion at the Indianapolis Zoo was killed this week by another lion that it had cubs with, Zoo officials announced.

The zoo says a 10-year-old male African lion, Nyack, died Monday morning, after it was hurt by a female lion named Zuri. Zuri was OK.

Animal care staff heard "an unusual amount" of roaring from the outdoor lion yard, the zoo said in a news release. They responded and saw Zuri being aggressive with Nyack in the presence of the lions' 3-year-old daughter, Sukari.

To read more on this story, click here: Indianapolis Zoo: Male Lion Killed By Mother Of It’s Cubs


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An Extremely Rare Albino Raccoon Was Captured in Tennessee When Trappers Responded to a Memphis Home

Nashville, Tennessee - An extremely rare albino raccoon was captured in Tennessee when trappers responded to a Memphis home.

Alpha Wildlife, a company which specializes in animal trapping, prevention, and repairs, responded to a Collierville home to remove raccoons.

Co-owner Matt Caldwell says he was ready for the first raccoon trapped and removed but the second one was a surprise. "I was excited and taken aback at the same time," Caldwell says. "I've seen pictures online but never in person."

That's because it was a rare albino raccoon. Caldwell says biologists tell him finding an albino raccoon is a 1 in 750,000 chance. Caldwell and co-owner David Parrish took the raccoon to Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park as is protocol when releasing animals.

To put the rarity in perspective, the odds of being struck by lighting in your lifetime is 1 in 14,600 according to the NWS.

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200 Cats In Poor Health Seized From Spring Cat Sanctuary

SPRING, Texas (KTRK) -- We're getting our first look at more than 200 cats who authorities say were found in pretty bad shape at a Spring cat sanctuary.

But the owners of Dave and Faye's Cat Sanctuary tell Eyewitness News the entire raid and seizure was unjustified.

The Houston SPCA and law enforcement from Montgomery County seized the animals on Wednesday, and said they are in desperate need of veterinary care.

SPCA says many of the cats are suffering from various medical conditions, including upper respiratory infections.

To read more on this story, click here: 200 Cats In Poor Health Seized From Spring Cat Sanctuary


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Tropical Fish Diseases

A home aquarium can host a large variety of bacterial, fungal & parasitic infections. Early treatment is best but there are few things you can do to increase the chance everyone will heal quickly.

Most illnesses are contagious so medicating the entire tank is suggested. Even if the disease is not contagious, it’s not going to harm a healthy fish to give him a dose of treatment too.

If you have a large aquarium it’s advised to set up a hospital tank. Use a smaller 5 gallon aquarium with air pump to place infected fish. Treating a 5 gallon tank is much easier and cheaper then treating a 90 gallon, hence the popularity of hospital tanks for advanced hobbyists and fish breeders.

Always remove carbon for the duration of treatment. In a power filter, you will need to remove the entire cartridge (carbon is located inside). Carbon absorbs medication from the water rending the treatment ineffective.

Adding freshwater aquarium salt helps with healing. A general tonic with electrolytes promoting good health, salt also can counteract the harsh effect of medication by reducing stress. Dissolve some in a cup of water before adding to the aquarium. Follow directions on the box for the proper amount to add according to tank size.

 Most diseases are caused by stress & poor water quality. After the disease outbreak is cleared, you may want to increase the frequency of water changes and perhaps consider using a stronger filter or adding a second filter. Excellent filtration can help prevent disease by keeping water chemistry prime for living conditions.

To read more on this story, click here: Tropical Fish Diseases 

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Hamsters: From The Wild To Your Bedroom

Cheeks puffed, growling, and ready to pick a fight with a barn cat: The black-bellied hamster is a far cry from the domesticated hamster you might have as a pet. It’s a good thing these black-bellied hamsters are defending themselves, because in France, where only 500 to 1,000 remain in the wild, these courageous critters are literally fighting for survival.

In the December 2014/January 2015 issue of National Geographic Kids magazine, you can find out more about wild hamsters in France, their history, and what people are doing to help their populations recover. And read below to learn more about wild and pet hamsters.

Where Did Your Pet Hamster Come From?

One of the most popular species of pet hamsters in North America and Western Europe is the Syrian, or golden, hamster, which was discovered in the wild in 1797. So how did this hamster get from the Middle East all the way to your bedroom or classroom? Thank zoologist Israel Aharoni. During a 1930 expedition to look for these golden hamsters, he and local Sheikh El-Beled uncovered a golden hamster and her 11 young living 8 feet (2.4 meters) below a wheat field.

To read more on this story, click here: Hamsters: From The Wild To Your Bedroom

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