Health Concerns of Yorkshire Terriers

Yorkshire Terriers are not only smart and cute; they are also healthy, as a general rule. Of course in order to maintain that good health, they do require a high degree of care. This means that you have to be on the lookout for problems, and it also means that your Yorkshire Terrier needs to see his vet once and sometimes twice each year. Below are some common problems that are seen in Yorkshire Terriers.Hypoglycemia-This is a condition that comes about when the blood sugar levels fall too low. This commonly happens if a dog has to wait too long between meals. Symptoms of Hypoglycemia include staggering, listlessness, lack of interest, weakness, and shaking. Serious Hypoglycemia can lead to coma. Without treatment, death can occur.

Parvovirus -Commonly referred to as Parvo, this is a disease that affects dogs of all breeds, and it is highly contagious. Symptoms include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, high fever and lethargy. Parvo can lead to congestive heart failure, and while a dog can survive this virus, most do not. You can have your Yorkshire Terrier vaccinated against Parvovirus.

Liver Shunt – A liver shunt is essentially a group of veins that are not running correctly. They allow blood that comes from the intestine to bypass the liver, which prevents metabolization. A liver shunt is usually fatal. A liver shunt may exist if your Yorkie is not growing properly, if he has frequent diarrhea or vomiting, if he is losing weight, or having seizures.

Bladder Stones – Bladder stones are not fatal, but they are painful. These are essentially stones in the bladder, and those stones must eventually be passed when urinating. Blood may also be present when urinating.

Collapsed Trachea -This is a problem that is common for small dogs of all breeds. The trachea can collapse when the cartridge rings that keep the trachea rigid start weakening. Symptoms of a collapsed trachea include shortness of breath, coughing, and fatigue.

Cushing’s Disease-This is a disease that occurs when there is an overproduction of cortisone in the adrenal glands. It typically occurs in dogs over the age of five, and is caused by an actual lesion in the pituitary gland, which is located at the base of the brain. Approximately half of the lesions will be malignant. Extreme thirst, urinating more often, hair loss, weakness, and unusual panting are signs of Cushing’s Disease.

There are other illnesses that you must be on the lookout for, however for the most part Yorkshire Terriers really are very healthy, happy, energetic dogs. Again, with proper care and attention, you most likely won’t have to many medical issues, and those that you do have will be caught early and will respond well to treatment.

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What is so special about Eclectus Parrots?

If you ask Eclectus parrot owners if their birds are more special than other species, almost all of them will tell you that the Eclectus parrot is the most special bird in the world. In fact, this is the most popular choice of aviary pet in the entire world, and it isn?t any wonder.First, these are incredibly beautiful birds, but this is not necessarily what sets them apart. They are, however, the most vibrantly colored of all parrots. But these birds are also highly social. They really like humans, and become true companions, while most other species never actually warm up to human contact. Eclectus parrots, however, are really tuned into our moods and feelings, once they know and trust us. They actually develop a bond with their humans.

The Eclectus parrot has amazing talking abilities. In fact, it is believed that they have the clearest speech patterns, and that they are capable of learning the most varied vocabulary of all other talking birds. These birds say words, phrases, sing, and even make sound effects. These birds have been known to imitate running water, microwaves, doorbells, telephones, sneezing sounds, and even to sing opera. They can even laugh. This unique talking ability of the Eclectus parrot seems to give them more personality than other species. Furthermore, the males have masculine voices, and the females have feminine voices.

Eclectus parrots are also highly intelligent. They can easily be trained to follow commands, and they can even be potty trained, so to speak. The limitations as to what they can be trained to do or say is dependant on what their owners teach them, and how often they work with them.

The Eclectus parrot is considered to be one of the neatest parrots, and in spite of his talking abilities, one of the least noisy birds. These birds don’t toss their food about like others do. There won’t be a lot of squawking and screaming with an Eclectus parrot, unless he isn’t handled enough and he develops behavioral problems.

The Eclectus parrots don’t produce feather dust, which is a welcome relief to bird lovers who have allergies. These birds have an oil gland, instead of a dust gland, and you might consider them to be hypoallergenic birds. Eclectus parrots are really very interested in their humans, and will watch their movements closely. They want to know what you are doing.

If you asked an Eclectus owner what they loved the most about their bird, they would probably ask you what there was to not love. The fact is that this is the most loveable, docile bird that one can have. They become the most loyal of pets, and before long, you could consider your Eclectus parrot to be your best friend in the whole world.

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Clipping Your Guinea Pigs Nails

No matter what breed of guinea pig you have, all guinea pigs have something in common. All guinea pigs need their nails trimmed on a regular basis. There are many reasons for this.First, if your guinea pigs nails are not trimmed often, they will get too long, and will snag on thing when he is running about, or scratch you when you are holding him. There is also the danger of the long nail getting caught and being ripped out, which would obviously be very painful for the guinea pig. Another reason to trim the nails is because as nails grow, they will start to round on the ends, and will grow into the soft bed of your guinea pigs paw, which can also be quite painful for him. It can also easily become infected.

Guinea pigs can also grow spurs on the side of his paws. You will see these when you clip his nails, and you can safely, and painlessly, cut these off, before they start to hurt. Finally, your guinea pig will actually be much happier with shorter nails, because it will make it easier for him to run around.

You should check your guinea pigs nails every week to two weeks, but you will most likely find that he doesn’t need a trim more often than every four to six weeks. You can help your guinea pig even more by providing him with rough running surfaces, which will wear down his nails naturally, but you will most likely still have to trim them a bit, just not as often.

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Clipping the Wings of Your Eclectus Parrot

If you love your new Eclectus parrot, you will definitely want to clip his wings. Ideally, his wings will be clipped by the breeder, before he goes home with you, but only after he has been flying daily for at least a month. Without learning how to fly well, his development will be hindered.With that said, make sure that the breeder clips his wings before he goes home with you. If possible, ask to be present when this is done, so you can see it done. Don’t assume, however, that this is something that you will do yourself the first several times it needs it. Instead, make sure you are present when it is done each time, and that the person doing it is instructing you as to how it should be done.

Finally, before you take on the task of wing clipping solo, do it with someone who is experienced with wing clipping standing next to you, just to be sure that you do now in fact know what you are doing, and you aren’t going to make any mistakes. Note that if your bird’s wings are not clipped, he will be able to get to those hard for you to reach places in your home, and you also have the potential for losing your bird, in the event that he manages to get outside.

An Eclectus parrot needs his wings clipped about once every six months. New feathers will continue to grow, and those feathers will reach the point where he is able to fly high again. It is vital that you never clip just one wing. This puts the bird off balance. It is also vital that you not cut the wings too short, or in the wrong shape, as this also affects his balance. When a bird is unbalanced, this typically ends with injury to the bird, when he tries to fly.

In terms of flight feathers, your Eclectus parrot has a primary set of flight feathers and a secondary set of flight feathers. Regardless of trimming, your bird will be able to fly ?he just won’t be able to go very high or very far before he needs to land. If those primary feathers are cut too short, he won’t be able to control his landing, and he will hit the floor hard. Therefore, those primaries must be cut short enough to keep him from going to high, but not so short that he can’t control his landing. At the same time, you don’t want to leave too much feather either. Again, this enables him to fly higher, for longer distances.

You may think that you don’t need to clip your Eclectus parrots wings, because he will never be in danger of getting out of the house. What you may not realize, however, is that there are many dangers inside your home for an unclipped bird. He can fly into ceiling fans, open toilets, uncovered pots, windows, and mirrors.

A regular pet groomer generally is not qualified to clip wings. If you can’t do it yourself, ask your breeder to recommend someone. If nothing else, ask the breeder if you can pay them to do it for you when it needs to be done. If you do learn how to clip your Eclectus parrots wings yourself, make sure that you have the proper tools for the job. You need sharp scissors with blunt ends, and these scissors should never be used for any other task.

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Spaying and Neutering for Yorkshire Terriers

In most cases, when you acquire a Yorkshire Terrier from a breeder, that puppy will already be spayed or neutered. There are many reasons why breeders spay and neuter the puppies before selling them. Even if your Yorkshire Terrier puppy is not spayed or neutered before coming to live with you, in most cases, the breeder will have a contract with you that require you to have the dog altered by the time that it is a certain age.Spaying and neutering is usually done in the veterinarian’s office. You must call ahead for an appointment, and you will be asked to prevent your Yorkshire Terrier from eating or drinking anything after midnight the night before. Some veterinarians ask that you bring the animal to the office the evening before the procedure, where he is kept in a kennel overnight.

Your Yorkshire Terrier will be put to sleep with anesthesia, and will feel nothing during the procedure. He will be required to stay at the veterinarian’s office until the anesthesia has worn off, at which time you will be allowed to bring him home. In many cases, by the time you pick him or her up from the veterinarians office, you won’t be able to tell, by the way the animal acts, that any procedure has been performed at all. Dogs and cats get over it rather quickly.

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Neutering and Spaying Ferrets

When you get a ferret, it is extremely important that you get them spayed or neutered, if this has not already occurred at the breeding farm. Even if you don’t neuter a male, you absolutely must spay a female that will not be bred.When a female reaches sexual maturity, she will essentially go into heat, and this will not reside until she has mated. The female cannot ovulate unless she mates. Since she will not be mating, she will suffer. She will have bladder infections, bladder stones, lose hair and weight, and eventually have bone marrow failure, which will cause her to become anemic. When this happens, she will eventually hemorrhage internally and die a slow and painful death.

When the female ferret is spayed, both of her ovaries and the uterus will be removed. She should be spayed before reaching sexual maturity between six and eight weeks old, or as soon as she is weaned from her mother.

If a male ferret is not neutered, you will notice that his body has a greasy feel to it, and that he has a great deal of body odor from spring to summer. This is the ferrets breeding season, and this is what happens to his body naturally to attract females.

Left un-neutered, the male ferret is very likely to attack other ferrets that have been neutered, causing permanent damage, such as hair that will never grow as it should again. If for some reason you have chosen not to neuter one of your male ferrets, he absolutely must not come into contact with neutered males.

Males reach sexual maturity between seven and eight months of age. It will not matter, once he reaches this maturity, whether the female is in heat or not he will try to mate with her.

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A Day in the Life of a Fascinating Reptile, the Alligator

Let’s travel to Florida to meet one of the largest of reptiles, the alligator. Alligators live only in the southeastern states of our country, like Louisiana and Florida. Most of the time alligators are pictured in swamps, but many people in Florida have reported seeing alligators in the lakes near their backyards. Having a reptile the size of a lizard in the backyard is normal, but seeing an alligator in a pond is something to get excited about. For such a big reptile, you might be surprised to find that it often isn’t easy to spot an alligator in the water.Alligators like to float just beneath the surface of the water, with only their eyes and nostrils breaking the surface of the water. The rest of their big body just relaxes underneath the water, legs spread apart and the huge tail hanging partway down. The alligator can float at exactly the right level by using his lungs as a kind of inflatable raft, and keeps just the right amount of air for only his eyes to stay above the water. An alligator stays mostly under water for one of two reasons.

The first reason is to keep his body temperature cool. Like other reptiles, the alligator’s body temperature depends upon the temperature of the air or water around him. The sun can get very hot in Florida, and since the alligator does not sweat, there has to be another way for him to keep cool. He first opens his enormous mouth, and that will cool him down a little bit. If the alligator is still too hot, he will go into the water to lower his body temperature even more.

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Can You Legally Own A Ferret?

Like cats, nobody really owns a ferret they own you. But the question is, can you legally own a ferret in your city, state, or country? The answer to that question is varied, depending on where you live and it is vital that you find out whether or not it is allowed before you adopt a ferret and form an attachment. It is very stressful for a ferret when they are taken away from someone that they have come to love.Ferrets are legal in the United States, except in Hawaii and California, and some cities, such as New York City and Washington, DC. Other cities also have ordinances against ferrets, while some cities allow them, but require you to purchase a permit.

Ferrets may not be imported into Australia, or even bred in Australia yet they are allowed in Queensland and the Northern Territory. You may own a ferret in Victoria, as long as you have a license to do so. In Australia, the question becomes , how do I get a ferret?

You may not sell, breed, distribute, or own a ferret in New Zealand or Iceland. In Portugal, however, you may have a ferret, but not as a pet. You may own a ferret, however, and use it for hunting, as long as you have a permit issued by the government. Ferrets are very welcome and popular in Brazil. However they are required to have a microchip identification tag and they must be spayed or neutered.

If there is an animal shelter in your area, phone them to inquire whether it is legal to own a ferret or not. You can also phone the City Clerk in most areas to get this information, and to inquire about where and how you get a permit, if one is required, how much it will cost, and how often the permit must be renewed. You can also obtain information from the Department of Fish and Game for your area.

Most places that have a ban against ferrets have that ban because of misinformation believing that ferrets are wild animals or that they carry rabies. Ferret lovers around the world are working to change the minds and hearts of city officials everywhere.

If for some reason there is nothing specifically mentioned in the legal code for your town or county concerning ferrets, this means that owning a ferret is legal, by default, and you have nothing to worry about. Most cities that have laws that concern ferrets are typically concerned with making sure that the animal has been vaccinated against rabies, which you were going to do anyway, as a responsible pet owner.

Note that while it is legal to own ferrets in many places, this does not mean that it is legal to sell them, or to breed them in those places. It is important that you ask these questions of your city clerk before you accidentally break the law and the hearts of your ferrets.

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Choosing A Vet for Your Reptile

Carefully research your options for proper veterinary care before you decide to purchase a reptile. Although the animal may be sold at a low-cost, the care it would take once you own it may be more than you bargain for! A vet must be experienced in reptile care and medicine to make a good provider for your reptile pet. Reptile care and medicine requires special education.There is a list of vets you can access over the internet for the Unites States of America, International, and Canada. Check with your local vets to determine their areas of expertise, experience, and limitations.

You must make sure your vet will be comfortable handling your reptile. If the vet is uncomfortable, the animal will sense it and may become more of a problem. Once you get your animal, take it to the vet for a check-up even if it appears healthy. You may not be able to detect the problems a trained professional can find. Problems are not always readily seen by the eye. Maybe your reptile has parasites that you can’t see just by looking at it.

Your vet should be willing to help you find the proper care for your reptile if he or she is not properly qualified. You will want to know this information before your pet becomes seriously ill or injured. Even if your vet isn’t qualified, he/she may be able to provide temporary care until you can get your pet to the right person for the proper care.

It is a good idea to purchase a reptile that is already well-known as pet material. A pet that is new to the market will not be researched well enough yet.

Not many vet colleges offer the specialized medicine courses necessary for caring for ill reptiles. Test your vet with questions about temperature or food to see if they even have basic knowledge.

If you try to treat the animal yourself with over-the-counter medications, you could be making your pet more ill. The medication sold in pet stores often has ingredients like tetracycline that isn’t good for your reptile; or the shelf medicines just simply aren’t strong enough to do any good and are a waste of your money. A pet store may sell certain items just to draw money, without properly researching the items themselves for their effectiveness. After all, the clerks aren’t pharmacists.

If your vet has had special schooling required for reptile care, has he/she updated their knowledge recently? Are they aware of the latest treatments or medications? Do they have an interest in reptiles, conferences, or belong to any reptile associations?

If you’re unable to contact your vet, or are unsatisfied with the information provided, you can try asking zoos, other reptile owners, or local pet adoption agencies for references to reptile vets. In any case, it will help for you to educate yourself in case of an emergency. At least you could provide basic care until you could reach a qualified professional.

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The Persian Cat Breed

Persian Cat

The Persian cat has been the choice of many cat owners for a very long time. Even though their popularity has declined to a certain extend in the past decade or so, the Persian cat is still one of the most sought after cat breeds around. However, one word of caution though, the Persian cat needs a lot of care and grooming especially since it is a long haired breed. It is especially important to groom the Persian cat’s coat at least once a day if not more.

If the coat of a Persian cat is well taken care of, its beauty can be really breathtaking. The Persian’s beautiful coat comes in different shades of color in Black, Chocolate, Red, Blue, Lilac, Cream, Chinchilla, Silver, and White colors. White coated Persian Cats can have blue, orange and mismatched eye colors. Besides that, you can also find the Persian cat breed in tortoiseshell, shaded, smoke, tipped, tabby, silver tabby, and bicolor patterns.

The beauty of the Persian cat is largely responsible for its popularity among cat lovers and cat owners, but that is not the only reason why the Persian cat breed is so popular. The reasons why the Persian cat is so popular besides being a beautiful cat is their extremely active and affectionate characteristics. For those of you who do mind their active and affectionate nature, this is one of the best cat breeds to have. Besides being active and affectionate, the Persian cat is also quite laid back and will be good for those who have multiple cats at home or even other pets.

Persian cats are expected to live for around 15 years to 16 years. Persian cats are a fairly healthy cat breed but there are a few problems that are commonly linked with this cat breed that you need to be aware of such as kidney disease, breathing problems due to their compacted faces, and reproductive problems. Besides these problems, the blue eyed white Persians are especially prone to deafness. As you can see, these are some of the common cat health problems commonly associated with the Persian cat breed but overall if you take good care of your Persian cat’s health, I see no reason why the Persian cat should not be your preferred cat of choice.

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