Category General

Professional herpetologists and pet owners have long debated the value of feeding live prey to reptiles. With some it's a good idea, with others it's not - in fact it can be dangerous. Snakes. The question is easily answered for snakes: You should avoid feeding live food to even the most powerful snakes.

If it is a Saturday or Sunday, rabbit shows are under way somewhere in the United States. People are familiar with dog and cat shows, but many are surprised to hear about rabbit shows, even though more rabbits are shown than dogs and cats. What Rabbits Can I Show? The American Rabbit Breeders Association (ARBA) encourages the showing of purebred and pedigreed rabbits, but rabbits do not have to be purebred or pedigreed to be shown.

Hypoglycemia is a term used to describe a blood sugar concentration of less than 70 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) of blood. In ferrets, this is most commonly caused by an insulinoma, a tumor of the pancreas. These tumors produce large amounts of insulin, which causes the blood glucose (sugar) to drop below normal levels, resulting in symptoms of generalized weakness progressing to severe illness and seizures.

Bladder rupture is a condition in which the urinary bladder tears and releases urine into the abdominal cavity. The bladder can rupture because of trauma, urinary obstruction, tumors or severe bladder disease. This can occur in any species but tests and treatment vary depending on the animal. Animals that experience rupture of the bladder can quickly become sick from substances in the urine that are leaking into the abdomen and getting reabsorbed instead of being excreted.

Dyspnea is labored or difficult breathing and is also referred to as respiratory distress or shortness of breath. It is primarily an indication of insufficient amounts of oxygen in the circulating blood. Dyspnea can occur during inspiration (breathing in) or expiration (breathing out) and may be caused by the following: Heart disease or heart failure Lung disease Tumors or cancer in the lung Pneumonia Obstructions (something that occludes the airway) Trauma Bleeding into the lungs or chest The potential causes of dyspnea are numerous, and some can also cause a cough, although this is not always the case.

Ibuprofen is a popular and effective over-the-counter medication available to treat pain and inflammation in people. For pets, ibuprofen can easily exceed toxic levels. The most common cause of ibuprofen toxicity is a well-meaning owner trying to alleviate pain in his pet who administers a dose he thinks is adequate without knowing the toxic dose.

Unfortunately, many people will be faced with the decision on how to take care of their pet if he/she dies at home. There are many options available but the owner should know that some have governmental and legal guidelines to follow. The majority of people take the remains to their family veterinarian.

Most reptiles lay eggs, which makes them "oviparous." The act of laying eggs is called oviposition. Some reptiles bear live young and the term for this is viviparous. Technically, a female that lays eggs is said to be gravid when she's holding eggs inside of her. She may also correctly be called pregnant.

Picture a toad that refuses to give ground to an approaching steamroller and you can come close to visualizing the appearance of the Suriname toad, a species that is eagerly snapped up by hobbyists when it is available. Kept in a filtered aquarium (one or two toads in a 20 gallon tank) and fed a varied diet, Suriname toads are very hardy, usually trouble-free amphibians that are suitable for beginning hobbyists, but usually of interest to all.

Aspirin toxicity (salicylate toxicity) is poisoning that occurs following the ingestion of aspirin or aspirin-containing products. Aspirin toxicity usually occurs after the ingestion of improperly stored drugs or the administration of the incorrect dose of aspirin to a ferret. Young animals are more susceptible to the toxic effects than are adult animals.

Transporting your horse can be a stressful experience for you and your horse. For example, horses lose two to five pounds of body weight for every hour they travel - and that's in cool weather. This can increase dramatically in hot weather due to evaporation at the body surface or sweating. Horses also run the risk of respiratory disease during long-distance travel.

Within the animal kingdom, horses are considered to be elite athletes because of their unique physiology. Since they perform at such a phenomenally high level, even the smallest change in their health can knock down their performance. These minute, often subtle effects on their health that effect performance are really challenging to detect, sometimes requiring special diagnostic tests.

There are few structures more flammable than a barn. Between the typical wood construction, the hay, straw or wood shavings used for bedding, the blankets, leg wraps, and saddle pads, the inevitable cobwebs, and the dust and particles in the air, most barns are a three-alarm fire waiting to erupt. Fire prevention is more than hanging a "no smoking" sign on the door.

One of the most important people in your horse's life is his farrier, a professional who trims and shoes your horse's hooves. Just as your feet may ache when you wear ill-fitting shoes, your horse's legs and feet may hurt if his shoes are in poor condition or improperly sized. "Your choice of a farrier may in fact be the most important decision you make in your horse's overall health," says Emil Carre, a certified journeyman farrier and president of the American Farriers Association.

The U.S. Equestrian Team traveled home from the Sydney Olympics in 2000 with three medals - a gold and two bronze. Two of those medals were won in Three-Day competition. David O'Connor's individual Gold marked an Olympic record-setting Dressage score and gave the Americans something to celebrate. O'Conner was the leading U.

When winter hits, horse people have a tendency to shut those barn doors tight. But we may be doing our horses' respiratory systems a grave disservice. In winter, your horse may spend 24 hours a day in his stall. But the air in a barn with inadequate ventilation can very quickly become stagnant. Practically everything in a barn environment contributes to poor air quality, from the dusts and molds lurking in hay, grain and bedding, to the ammonia fumes emanating from urine.

The choice of bedding is steeped in as much tradition as saddlery. Every horseperson has his preference. Some like the smell of sweet cedar shavings, some the traditional look of a deep straw bed, while others prefer the softness and absorbency of peat moss. But which bedding is really best for your horses?

Urolithiasis refers to the formation of stones (calculi or uroliths) in the urinary tract. Calculi can be found anywhere in the urinary tract, in the kidneys, the ureter or the bladder, but are most common in the bladder. They are most commonly found in rabbits and ferrets but can also affect smaller animals.

Pruritus or itching is an unpleasant sensation that causes an animal to scratch or bite at himself. It is caused by stimulation of certain nerves within the skin by mediators of inflammation. Thus, any skin condition that causes inflammation can cause pruritus. Pruritus is the main symptom of skin conditions like skin infections and skin parasites (fleas, mites, lice and others) but may be seen with many other skin diseases.

As a rule, you probably don't give a lot of thought to your horses drinking water, but it does have a direct influence on his health and well-being. Dissolved in that clear liquid are minerals absorbed from the environment the water flows through, as well as chemical contaminants and bacteria picked up along the way.