All About Pets

Archive for December, 2011

When it comes to sending birthday flowers, it’s hard to go wrong – or at least so you would think! Getting Aunt Ermintrude that bouquet of beautiful lilies delivered to her door might have seemed like a foolproof gift, but in reality you could be sending a potential poisonous flower-bomb into a pet-friendly home. The last thing you want is Aunt Emintrude’s ailing cat on your conscience.

Organising a flower delivery to a pet owner is a tricky business. Think of it like flower Tetris; with so many potentially lethal plants and flowers in your local florist, getting the right combination is not a game for the light-hearted. Neither is it impossible though; with a little research into the world of botanics, you’ll soon be sending pet-friendly bouquets without a second thought. For the pet owners amongst us, this will come as a relief, as we all know how meddlesome our furry little friends can be when it comes to investigating things they are not supposed to touch.

The first, and most important, rule when it comes to sending flowers is never presume that a common household flower is safe – the internet is your friend, so use it wisely. Some of the most popular birthday flowers used in bouquets are actually poisonous to animals, so it’s vital that you double-check before you send them. You might, for instance, be surprised to learn that some species of lilies and orchids can cause serious damage to your beloved cats and dogs with just the slightest nibble of their blooms. Even something as innocent looking as ivy can cause issues to your pets, while the foxgloves you find in your garden are lethal. Another problem bloom that comes as a surprise to most are daffodils, which again are to be avoided if you own animals.

With their slight frames and delicate metabolisms, cats and dogs are easily susceptible to the poisons in plants that humans are immune to.  In some instances, these can lead to sickness and diarrhoea and can potentially be lethal. Not only may one of your beloved pets be in danger, but with the cost of veterinary treatment, you could be in for a hefty bill just to compound the misery.

But before you’re put off from ever sending a flower again for fear of poisoned felines and canines, it’s worth noting that there are plenty of non-toxic flowers that are perfect for special occasions. Flowers like tulips might have poisonous bulbs, but since you’re unlikely to have a vase of bulbs in your living room, it’s perfectly safe to opt for tulips. Popular house plants such as the African Violet are similarly non-toxic, making them a perfect choice for a gift. The key is to research plants and flowers on the internet first or even better ask your florist when you buy them.  That way, you can say ‘Thank you’ with flowers without having to send another bouquet to say ‘Sorry’.

When horses were first domesticated they were used in harness rather than being ridden. It was the invention of horse saddles thatrevolutionised the use of horses as riding animals.

Prior to the invention of saddles all riders rode bareback – a difficult feat in itself, let alone if you are carrying out military maneuvers!As you can imagine it also was particularly uncomfortable, especially when riding for long periods of time. It was from this that the idea of a saddle – which would act almost as a cushion between the horse and the rider – came about.

The invention of horse saddles cannot be linked to one person or even a group of people. Over time many cultures contributed to the development of the saddle as we now know it. This has resulted in a lack of widespread consensus of the full origins of horse saddles.

When first invented, saddleswere very rudimentary and looked more like cloth pads that were attached to the horse using a piece of equipment similar in appearance to what we would now know as a surcingle.

Over time these simple saddles became more refined and complex; they changed from cloth pads to leather making them much more durable. They were decorated with felt, hair and even gold; often indicating which tribe or group of people the rider was a part of.

Perhaps the biggest milestone in the history of saddle development came in the creation of a saddle tree; a feature that continues to be an important part of saddles these days. The leather was now stretched across this saddle tree. Thishelped by keeping the rider’s weight off the horse’s back which was found not only to improve the comfort for the rider but also to help the horse’s comfort and allow him to be ridden for longer periods of time.

Whilst there is some evidence of leather stirrups being in existence from approximately 5^th century BC, it is widely accepted that the development of stirrups as we now know them began around 300 – 500 AD in central Asia. The introduction of stirrups made riding far safer by giving the rider greater balance.

Nowadayshorse saddles come in a huge range of styles, usually aimed at general use or a specific discipline, e.g. dressage or western riding. They can be made in leather or a synthetic material and are available in a huge variety of sizes to suit every horse and rider.

A huge range of leather and synthetic horse saddles are available at great prices from www.EquestrianClearance.com.

To keep your cat’s eyes in good condition is necessary for clean up on a regular basis to prevent crusting and debris to accumulate in them. This operation is not always easy because the cat is not usually very collaborative show. In any case, it is best to be patient and proceed with the cleanup.

To clean the eyes, we dip a gauze in distilled water at room temperature and wash with it the eyes of your cat, always gently and without causing harm to the animal. It’s best to do this once every two or three days, although there are breeds such as Persians, in which we do daily to prevent infections and other eye problems to the animal.

In any case we use the same swab to clean both eyes, because we can transmit diseases from one another. Once a clean up or discard the gauze we have used and we will take a clean wash the other.

To clean the eyes with greater convenience, it is advisable to wrap the cat in a towel as we do, because it will be easier to hold and avoid being scratched while you are cleaning. Of course, we must make sure your legs are not bent or forced into an uncomfortable position for the animal. When finished, it is advisable to give him some candy and do some cuddle for the animal to associate the experience with a positive experience. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the questions that arise when we have an aquarium for the first time is how we feed our fish. Many owners do not follow a proper dietary guidelines, which causes harm to the health of the fish to feed them too much or poorly, and produce problems in the fish tank filter due to excess food that is floating in the water.

The first thing to do is advise the type of food we give to our fish depending on the species. In the store where we can advise buy this, and if we are buying food in a large area, it is important to read the signs of the food that we buy, as not all are suitable for all fish.

Something that many owners are unaware of is that fish are very greedy animals and will eat all the food within their reach. Usually you have the idea that fish eat only until satisfied, but it is not. That’s why we, when we feed them, give them a regular amount of food which is sufficient but not excessive, both to avoid bingeing as fighting to be done with food if it is scarce.

It is best to feed them once a day, as two, but this will always depend on each species, as there are some that need to be fed more regularly. Read the rest of this entry »