Pleasing 4 Pets

Most people try to find a new puppy or kitten from someone they know whose pet has a litter. But there are hundreds of animals in shelters who have nowhere to go and need to be looked after.

Although most people would far prefer to bring up an animal from youth, there are older pets who have been abandoned, or whose owners have died and they need homes just as much as the young ones. In fact, the older animals are usually left longer, so are likely to feel even less loved.

There are so many animals abandoned at the side of the road, or just thrown out when their owners get sick of them or can’t afford to look after them any more, that it is actually really selfish to not get a pet from a local shelter.

So, if you’re looking for a new pet – give your local animal shelter a call. You can give a lonely animal a home, and help out the shelter at the same time.

A 6 year old German wirehaired pointer called Maggie recently arrived in Cambodia for an unusual task; she had been shipped in to sniff out the tiger droppings within the largest nature reserve in Cambodia.

The dog was originally trained in Russia and is able to sniff out signs of larger wild cats as part of a national campaign to aid boosting the tiger population within Asia. The tiger population has plummeted to around 5,000 from double this number a century ago.

The dog has been scouring and sniffing undergrowth for tiger scent at the 3,000 kilometre Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area within north eastern Cambodia.

It is not clear how many tigers is actually still left in Cambodia, where local poaching and habitat encroachment are causing a huge decimation of the population.

The organisation had to turn to dogs after their field surveys and camera failed to find the large cats from the previous year. The sighting of a tiger in this area was in 2007 through a paw print which was found in the park.

“We think this is the best method when we have a large area and not that many tigers,” said Hannah O’Kelly, a wildlife monitoring adviser for the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

Linda Kerley, one of the consultants at WCS who trained the dos in Russia said “As we gain the technology to extract things from scat like DNA and hormones, all of sudden scat becomes a gold mine of information.”

A company based in Seoul, South Korea has revealed that it expects the cloning of domestic pets to become less expensive in future due to a brand new technique which they have developed.

The company, RNL Bio has confirmed that it has effectively cloned two pups from a beagle by utilising stem cells from the fat tissue of the dog.

A spokesperson for the company revealed that this new method of cloning had improved success rates by as much as 50%.

In 2008 RNL Bio are believed to have produced the very first commercially cloned canine - a Pit Bull Terrier for a US resident.

It is also understood that more recently a Florida couple purchased a puppy cloned from their dead pet for $155,000 from a company in South Korea.

Traditionally scientists have used skin cells from canine donors to obtain DNA which is then fuses with an egg to produce a clone.

But scientists at RNL Bio retrieved DNA from fat tissue and went on to develop 84 embryos.

These were transplanted into five separate surrogate bitches, one of whom has given birth to two puppies, confirming a 20% success rate in the new technique.

Animal lovers grieving for their dead pets are finding comfort in an online memorial garden.

The site has been set up so that broken hearted owners can pay tribute to their much loved animal friends.

The website Gone Too Soon has traditionally been used by the relatives of those killed in accidents or by terminal illnesses but a new section has been added to enable those grieving for their pets to leave tributes such as message, poems and pictures online.

The site currently displays many touching memorials from pet owners in mourning.

One written by the heartbroken owner a 15 year old dog, named Mollie read;_

“Mollie was my pet dog. A dear friend and a faithful companion.

Always kind, loyal and clean, I always joked that she found me, and that is true really.

She was with me during marriage, divorce, remarriage.

I was heartbroken and sobbed inconsolably when she was put to sleep and two years on I still miss her more than words can say.’’

Animal Welfare groups have applauded the site, stating that it highlights the true importance of pets to their owners

A medical technique which has traditionally been used to detect illness and disease in humans is now being used to uncover medical problems in pet in South Wales.

The Bridge Veterinary Group in Caerphilly has the use of a mobile MRI scanner one a month.

The MRI scans are able to produce in depth images of parts of an animal’s body, cost somewhere in the region of £1,000 per scan and take around 40 minutes to complete.

Graham Blow, a partner at the Bridge Veterinary Group revealed that the scans had made a huge difference in the group’s ability to diagnose medical problems in pets.

He said:-

“We had a dog in there with severe neck pain and we had done tests but what was diagnosed probably wouldn’t have been possible without MRI.

Sometimes you might look and see something is inoperable and you wouldn’t put the animal through an operation. It can alleviate unnecessary suffering in that case.”

Before now, any domestic pet needing an MRI scan would have been directed to other veterinary surgeries in England.

Now vets throughout South Wales will be able to send poorly pets to be scanned at Bridge Surgeries car park where the mobile scanner is available once a month.

The scanners have been used previously in many safari parks and zoos, and have helped to diagnose illnesses in animals such as gorillas, lions and even sharks.

A 42 year old who was made redundant from his inspector’s position at car-makers Jaguar Land Rover has proved to his old colleague at the production plant who are currently facing an indeterminate future that life goes outside of Jaguar Land Rover.

Adrian Cashmore took redundancy from the car plant where he had worked for 7 years and decided to open a Pet Shop in his Castle Bromwich where he lives.

He says his decision was prompted by difficulties he encountered difficulties whilst attempting to purchase supplies for his own pets locally.

Adrian said:-

“I had to travel quite far to get things for my own pets so I thought I should open a local store.

It has been hard work and I am up until two 2am some mornings sorting things out, but even though it is early days, I am getting a steady trade and regular customers.”

He has named his new venture Bromford Pets and stocks a wide range of animal feed and pet accessories as well as traditional pets such as guineas pigs, rabbits and fish.

Although he is extremely happy in his new found vocation, Adrian admits that he still misses his colleagues from Jaguar Land Rover and commended a local campaign which is calling on Prime Minister Gordon Brown to offer much needed financial assistance to the car industry during the current recession.

Whether it is for financial or health reasons increasing numbers of pet owners in the UK are considering offering their pet a diet of the home made variety.

But what exactly do animals require in their basic diets?

Anne Tebb, a chief veterinary surgeon at Bristol University revealed:-

“Cats and dogs, like all animals, require six components for a healthy diet. These are water, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals. Although cats and dogs are classified as carnivores, their nutritional requirements are different”.

The greatest difference between canines and felines is that cats require a high protein diet, making them poor vegetarians, whereas surprisingly a dog actually requires just 10%.

Both animals also need calories and this should be taken into consideration when preparing pet food at home. In shop bought foods calories are most often added in the form of cereals.

The head of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association advised :-

“Sledge dogs need 10,000-13,000 calories a day, whereas a Yorkie that spends most of the day on someone’s lap would probably need only 1,000. If your pet is gaining weight, then it is either being fed too much or is not getting enough exercise.”

Home made pet food requires careful planning but is perfectly viable with the assistance and advice of a good vet. Recommended ingredients include lean mincemeat, bulgar lecithin, kelp, vegetables in addition to iron and vitamin A,C and E supplements provided by a vet.

The credit crunch has lead to a reduction in spending throughout many households in the UK, and those who haven’t yet curbed their spending are now looking for ways to reduce their outgoings.

According to a study carried out recently the average UK pet owner spends somewhere in the region of £3.50 each week on food for their pets, 50p more than is spent on average per household per person on vegetables and fruit.

From the bog standard meat in jelly ranges to the finest gourmet varieties, the pet food industry in the UK is worth an incredible £1.9billions per year.

It is believed that the further into recession the UK slips, the less likely it is that pet owners will continue to purchase expensive pet foods and will instead offer the pets scraps from the family table and cheaper pet food alternatives.

Many pet owners in the USA, prompted by the dramatic downturn in their economy, and high numbers of pet foods recalled by manufacturers are attempting to produce home made pet foods.

Home produced calorie restricted or organic diets for domestic pets are popular in the United States and there are increasing numbers of pet nutritionists on hand to offer pet owner’s advice on improving their pet’s diet and encouraging the production of home made pet food.

But just how easy is it to produce a good quality home made pet food. One leading vet and pet nutritionist from Bristol University recommended that animal lovers deliberating whether to prepare their own pet food should consult a veterinary surgeon for advice on balancing a their pets diet, and said recently:-

“It is possible to feed pets home-made diets, but there are numerous potential problems that can arise if the diet is not correctly balanced.

In a study of home-made food for dogs, certain nutrients were below recommendations. Ready-prepared, shop-bought food contains the correct amount of nutrients to keep your pet fit.”

Animal welfare charities are warning that dogs can be put at risk of overheating by owners who force them to wear clothes.

The RSPCA has claimed that the practice has the potential to be as dangerous as locking a pet in a hot car during summertime, and could lead to legal action against irresponsible owners.

Some experts and indeed owners also believe that the trend for dressing dogs up in human style clothing is humiliating for the animal and can encourage unpleasant behaviour.

Over the past few years, the manufacture and sale of dog clothing has become a significant and lucrative business. Dog clothing on the market includes doggie hoodie, all in one trouser suits and fancy dress items such as pirate costumes and Elvis Presley styled all in one jump suits.

Many leading designers including Ben De Lisi and Vivienne Westwood have released ranges of dog accessories and items of clothing, and even high street chain BHS offers a range of t-shirts for dogs bearing slogans such as “I’m not fat just fluffy” .

The animal experts are claiming that with the exception of a few tiny sized canines with extremely short hair, or those which have a naturally low ratio of body fat such as the greyhound, doggie clothing is unwarranted and will only serve to get in the way of a dogs natural capacity to control its own body temperature.

A spokesperson for the RSPCA said in a statement:-

“Under the Animal Welfare Act, you are obliged to provide appropriate conditions and environments for your dog. So if you are slapping a great big coat on it when it really doesn’t need it, then that could cause it to suffer if it is overheating. It is the same as if you leave a dog in a car in hot weather.

Some breeds have been bred to have less fur, so in some cases it is quite appropriate for a dog to wear a coat in very cold weather. But if an owner is just doing it for a fashion statement I certainly would question that”.

January is traditionally a time when a lot of us feel down in the dumps or are inflicted with the post Christmas blues and the days are short and grey and the nights are long and cold.

But at this time of the year, it isn’t just us that are suffering; apparently our pets feel the effects as much as we do.

Key animal charity the PSDA is advising pet owners that the meagre summer of last summer combined with this winters appalling weather, below average temperatures and prolonged dark nights has resulted in an increase in the numbers of domestics pets enduring the misery of SAD’s - Seasonal Affective Disorder.

A survey carried out recently confirmed that the owners of one in three dogs notice a considerable downturn in the moods of their much loved four legged friends, revealing that they appear dejected and less lively than they would ordinarily be.

Leading vets at the PDSA believe that it is possible for domestic pets to display symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder, including fatigue, a decline in levels of activity and a shift in the number of hours slept each day.

The survey also showed that more than 50% of dog owners believed that their pets slept more often and for longer periods of time during the winter months, were less active and appeared to lose interest in walks.

And it would seem that the weather doesn’t just affect dogs, with a third of cat owners confirming that their feline appeared subdued and much les playful in wintertime.

One veterinary surgeon from the PDSA, Elaine Pendlebury said recently:-

“The cause of SAD in people is thought to be linked to the levels of melatonin in the body.

More melatonin is produced when it is dark, which is why it is also called ‘the hormone of darkness’. When this hormone is released into the bloodstream it is thought to make us drowsy and a little down in the dumps.

If this applies to pets too, the recent poor summers, together with the current dark nights, could certainly have an impact on their mood. So, owners need to kick-start their pet’s winter health routine with regular exercise and a well-balanced diet.”

Of course, the change in our pets’ mood may be simply due to the cold weather and fewer opportunities to stretch their legs outside, but diet and exercise can play a big part in perking up your pet. Even if you can’t go out, there are various indoor games that you can play together.”