Anything For Animals

posted by admin on Jan 31

This weekend saw the annual garden bird count get underway - and I had great fun!

I chose to help with 3 counts, as I love watching the birds - and I like to practice my identification skills!  I did my garden, which is a large lawn an orchard next to a wildlife reserve in a small village, my niece’s garden which is a huge lawned garden in suburbia, and finally my friends tiny town garden that she uses to grow vegetables in.

And surprisingly, she got the most species visiting her garden!

I couldn’t believe the numbers and the types of birds she got hopping around her garden and surrounding hedges - and I only watched out the window for and hour!  She had wrens, pied wagtails, song thrushes, starlings and house sparrows, along with blackbirds, robins, crows, collared doves, wood pigeons, magpies, blue tits and seagulls!

My countryside garden did get a great spotted woodpecker, but everything else was the expected species.  Bit unfortunate really as we have seen redwings, bullfinches, partridges, long-tailed tits and even red kites in the garden over the past few weeks - yet for the survey, they all stayed away!

My nieces garden got some standard fare, but nothing that wasn’t seen in the other 2 gardens.  However, the added bonus of doing this garden was that I was able to teach her some of the names of the species we saw!  She was very interested in the count for the whole hour, and came away knowing blackbirds, magpies and wood pigeons (and that caterpillars turn into butterflies!).  Not bad for a 3 year old!

What Else Can You Do?

This survey is only done in January every year, but there are other surveys and birds counts you can get involved in throughout the year in the UK with the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) by just learning to identify the most common species native to this country.

There are no doubt surveys across other countries by their national bird-loving charities and organisations, and by joining them (usually for a few £’s or $’s a month) you may well get some books or booklets on local birds and how to identify native and migrating species.

This way - even if you don’t stand outside and count birds every year, you are helping others to do just that.  You will be funding research into common and endangered species in your country and around the world.

Now that can’t be a bad thing!

posted by admin on Jul 1

Do you want your cute puppy to be the star of the show?

Now you have the chance! You could have your little pooch seen around the world in National Geographic’s photographic competition in just a few seconds. Just upload your best shots and see your pet on the Internet!

It really is that simple.

What Do I Do?
Well, all you need to do is register with National Geographic with their easy form and get up-loading. It really couldn’t be any simpler!

It’s easy to have a look at the current gallery of snaps to see what everyone else is adding - some are soo cute! - and maybe it can inspire you to take more shots yourself!  But if you can see their pictures - then everyone will be able to see yours!

International dog-loving viewers could be downloading a picture of your retriever swimming in a lake for their home laptop or a shot of your chihuahua sleeping on the couch for their computers wallpaper.

Your poodle sitting in a flower pot or your Great Dane squashing your uncle in the car could be turned into a puzzle that thousands of people can play each day!

There is every chance that your dog shots could inspire people to either take up photography or get themselves a life-long companion! Or just make them laugh.

So, Do You Want to be a part of it?

Then get snapping - and get snappy! The sooner you register, the sooner the world can get to meet your dog!

posted by admin on Mar 24

Can Roundworms Infect Any Animal ?  Basically, the answer is Yes.

These ascarids (a type of nematode worm) occur in all animal groups, including mammals, reptiles and birds and in each case the worm is host specific. They have managed to colonise every environment on earth by using the species that live there - but they do have their limits….

Host Specificity in Roundworm:
Roundworms are very specific in the animals they can reproduce in, but the worms themselves can get into other species and cause illness.  For example the dog roundworm (Toxacara canis) can cause lesions and blindness in humans.

However - host specificity means that they can only fully complete their life-cycle - from egg to larvae to adult - in one or sometimes two species. As mentioned, they are able to stay alive in other species in their larval stage, but can only become adult in their specific host.

Larval roundworms are commonly found in humans - although are inactive - but are still known as a zoonosis - which is a general terms used to describe a disease that can be spread from animals to humans, like rabies and salmonella.

How Do You Get Infected?
As with most endoparasites, animals or humans become infected by close contact with feces.  The eggs are ejected from the host in stools and are protected on the ground until ingested by another creature. 

Dogs and cats continue the cycle by sniffing each other waste for scent, or eating grass or food off the ground in an infected area (the eggs can survive long after the actual stool has gone).

Humans who pick up their animals waste inside or outdoors are at risk from picking up an egg - and needless to say if they do not thoroughly wash their hands before handling or eating uncooked food could ingest the eggs themselves.  The egg hatches to a larva and wil move around it’s new hosts body!

Unfortunately, people do not always treat their pets for worms and so children or adults sitting in parks, doing handstands or generally just playing about could come into contact with the eggs.  As will those who stoke, play or sleep with a pet that has laid on grass and the eggs may be transferred that way.

How To Avoid Getting Infected:
Don’t stop having fun outside or playing with your pets - just take obvious precautions.

Worm your pet regularly with a veterinary approved roundworm treatment following the dosage chart properly and on dates recommended.

Grooming your pet regularly and washing it’s bed/bedding can also reduce the numbers of eggs brought into your home by accident.

Always wash your hands before eating!  If you can remember to wash them after playing with pets or in parks or woodlands, but if you get in the habit of always washing before eating anyway - then you could avoid a lot worse things than roundworms!!
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posted by admin on Mar 17

Lungworms - The Unknown Parasite

We all know about roundworms and tapeworms and even heart worms and whip worms - but what on earth are lungworms and how would my dog pick them up? 

Well, apparently, you can get them from slugs and snails!  And there are plenty of them in my garden at the moment!!  It can also be ingested by eating infected rodents and birds (that have eaten the slugs or snails in the first place) and from the faeces of already infected cats, dogs and foxes.

What Are Lungworms?
They are members of the nemetode group of worms that can infect all sorts of animals from cows to rabbits, and live in the heart and main blood vessels leading to the lungs when parasitizing dogs.

Outside of their victims, they live in their intermediary hosts - and this includes slugs and snails for the dog specific lungworm.  They can easily be ingested by eating grass, puppies being nosy and of course, by catching and eating the live hosts of the Lungworm.

As with most internal parasitic worms, their eggs are passed out in the animals faeces and so can easily spread where there is a high concentration of dogs or cats or where owners are not disposing of their pets waste sensibly.

How Do They Affect My Dogs Health?
Symptoms can include the following groups of classic signs, but of course these can be associated with other illnesses, but if your dog eats things it finds or is particularly young and nosy, then they are possible at a greater risk of picking up lungworm.

Infected animals may well just show signs of being unwell. This can include mild sickness, loose stools, random vomiting and possibly a reduced interest in food.

As a result of general ill health, your dog could seem ‘out of character’. The infection could bring about a change in the way your dog reacts to you and everything in general really. They could become listless and uninterested in things that they used to enjoy.

They may tire more easily than normal when exercising or playing enthusiastically.  It is also possible that they start to cough as well, whether they are exercising or not.

There is no point trying to self-diagnose, as many animals don’t even show any symptoms at all.  The best treatment is prevention - as with most parasites - so discuss the likelihood of your pet having lungworms with your vet at your next visit and find out your best treatment options.

Treatment:
Lungworm isn’t treated with a standard wormer from a pet shop or supermarket - you need to go to the vets for effective diagnosis and treatment.  Most wormers only treat round worm and tapeworm (check the packaging to find out what yours do).

However, treatments are changing, and the re are a whole host of new ways to apply the treatments.  For example, you no longer need to worm you pets with a giant table!  There is an easy product now available that vets can offer that is just a drop on the back of the neck.  Not only does it treat lungworms - it also treats the standard worms as well as fleas and mites!

Great news all round!