Best Cat Video Ever!

http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=fq55ieixwd

The Honey Badger

This animal is insanely amazing! I've never seen anything like it and I had no idea Badgers were like this. It is called 'the most fearless animal on earth'. Check it out: http://video.stumbleupon.com/#p=e0uyj5fhzt

Last minute Halloween dog costume ideas!

This is taken from the Woof Report:




New Woof Report Friends page! Is your dog there?
See our photos from Pet Pride Day in Golden Gate Park
Let other dog people in on the scoop. Invite them to subscribe to Woof Report!

Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas | October 30, 2008

It’s Halloween eve and your dog doesn’t have a costume! Quick, get out a white sheet and some scissors for a classic ghost costume you can make in minutes – and best of all, no sewing required!

Thanks to Cerena Zutis from CZ Training and her adorable models, Little Guy (pictured) and Mariah, we’ve got the details for this famous trick or treat disguise. Follow along:

What you need:

* A sheet, preferably flannel because it stays in place on its own
* Scissors
* A plastic pumpkin treat bucket or a pumpkin dog toy
* A doggie trick or treater

How to:
Cutting the holes in the right place is the essential to the costume and the muzzle (face) hole is the most important. Size it correctly to keep the costume in place on your dog. Too big and the whole costume will slide back too far.

Next, work on the eye and ear holes. Make all holes a little smaller than you think they need to be -- you can always cut more fabric if necessary, but you can’t add it back on. Place the costume over your dog, muzzle first and smooth it over his back. The costume can be attached to your dog in some way, but that prevents it from flowing nicely, so you may just want to stop your dog and adjust the drape of the costume as needed.

Lastly, put the pumpkin bucket handle in your dog’s mouth for a laugh from door to door. Keep in mind that this last step is likely the hardest part of the costume, so just having him hold a toy pumpkin would certainly also work – and need we say, makes your pup look just as adorable.

The Scoop:

Little Guy and Mariah modeling his their costumes
www.youtube.com/lgandmariah

Little Guy’s Halloween Trick
www.youtube.com/lg

Instructions to make Halloween accessories for your dog -- bandanas, embellished collars and t-shirts. Don’t say we didn’t warn you – these require sewing skills.
www.diynetwork.com/doggiehalloween

Thank you to Cerena Zutis from CZ Training, Little Guy and Mariah for the tip.

PLEASE Vote YES on PROP 2

Here is more information: http://www.yesonprop2.com/

This site offers you information covering both sides, yes and no votes. I was very confused and did not understand why anyone would vote no on this prop, as I feel strongly that something like this should have been done years ago, as has been done in Oregon, Arizona and one more that I cannot think of; but it's on the site. There is a great Q&A section that will answer all of your questions and give you both sides + a great Myth versus Facts section. If anything, click on that section and read that to make your decision. There are no lies here, just plain and simple facts about this prop.

Please be a voice for animals who are treated so cruelly in the farming industry. Factory farming is animal cruellity! Please pass the word before Nov 4th!

Thank you :)

Website for chicken owners or lovers

Over the summer, I was in charge of quite a large number of water fowl - approximately 50 (and growing with all the baby chicken litters) of various breeds of chickens and hens, lots of ducks who were all very scared of me :( and a bunch of turkeys plus one very mean pair of geese - a couple who were inseperable. I learned a lot from that job, one that all of those birds make quite a mess and boy does it smell nasty. The worst was over the summer when it was so hot that I was just miserable since nothing was shaded in the coop - when the eggs would explode in the hot sun. I won't even go into details about the way that smelled. Anyway, the positive experience I had my first day with these chickens, were that they loved people and they equated people with food but that they were also very friendly and it was so easy to interact with them and start to care about them, as a pet almost, something I had never experienced. I didn't eat chicken for months after that first day. Some individuals were so happy and friendly, that they would walk up to me wanting to be petted and they are so soft, and their feathers are so beautiful.

So because this blog literally focuses on ALL species of animals around the world and my experiences with them, I like to keep up to date on all of my animal knowledge and working with the chickens just benefits me as a pet sitter and I know that when i move, it will be good that I do have experience with farm animals, as there is a lot of country and farms on the outskirts of Portland downtown. It was a great experience and I would love to have it again. So here is a great website I found that finally answered my question: how many breeds of chickens are there and how many different colors/patterns/sizes/shapes do they come in?? YOu can take a look here: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/BRKPoultryPage.html. :)

Info/Tip: Salmonella in Reptiiles & other animals

So I have an upcoming reptile care job at the end of December so I'm trying to do as much reading up and studying that I can on reptiles, the different species, etc and I will know more about what specifically I should read about once I meet all of them this week! I came across this great link which contained info on Salmonella, a common bacteria that can be passed on to humans from reptiles as well as even dogs & cats, something that I did not know (I thought it was only reptiles!). The site is: http://www.triciaswaterdragon.com/. While her information on the front page has not been updated since 2006, the links on information about various species and info on all sorts of information related to care of reptiles, all of those links work and are up to date. So I still recommend the website. Hopefully you can learn something new from the article below as I have! :)

Salmonella in Reptiles and Other Animals

I attended a reptile symposium here in Toronto in 1997. One of the speakers was a local reptile veterinarian- Dr. Craig Mosely. Part of the lecture he gave was about common ailments that many reptiles and amphibians suffer from. The other part of his lecture concerned zoonotic diseases such as Salmonella that animals may pass on to their human keepers and how we may prevent this transmission. Of course I took notes! On this page you will find information that I received during this lecture, and from doing research on my own.

Did you know that in one study, that was not species specific, of animals that had already died of various illnesses:

• 50% of snakes and lizards were found to carry salmonella, and
• 7% of the turtles carried salmonella as well
• 30% of dogs tested also carry a salmonella bacteria

So if you have say four reptiles, you could consider that perhaps 2 of them are infected with salmonella.

Estimated Infection rate in Reptiles

Species	Percentage infected
Turtles	12.1-85%
Snakes	16-92%
Lizards	36-77%

The vet himself was infected by salmonella from his pet cat! So it's not just reptiles and chicken that carry the over 2200 species of salmonella. Most animals seem to be host to one form or another- that also includes us!

Almost all animals- reptiles and mammals can carry salmonella bacteria. It is something that all pet owners should be aware of- not just reptile keepers! While many reptiles do carry one form or another of salmonella please keep in mind that if you take proper precautions the chances of a healthy adult becoming ill with salmonella from a reptile will be very low. It would be much easier to get a salmonella infection from poorly cooked or prepared eggs or chicken.

There are over 2000 strains of salmonella bacteria. Many of these strains are species specific and cannot cross over from one species to another. Many of these strains do not cause symptoms in their host but may make another species quite ill if the bacteria is one of those that is able to infect another species.

Of the strains of bacteria that can cross over from an animal to a human, many will cause no noticeable illness, or will perhaps make the person feel slightly ill and they may only think that they have a mild form of the flu. Other strains can make humans quite ill with severe flu like symptoms.

Whether salmonella bacteria infections should be treated?

Unless the animal is showing signs and symptoms that it itself is suffering from a salmonella infection it is believed that no reptile should be treated. First of all it is very difficult to tell whether your animal has salmonella. It may shed the bacteria in its feces, but only at certain times. Other times the bacteria may be present in their systems but they are not shedding the bacteria in their feces. So a false negative may be found when the stool is tested.

One other problem is that some people want to try to eliminate the salmonella without finding out exactly what kind of salmonella it is that might be infecting their animal. If your reptile or other animal is found to positive for salmonella a culture and sensitivity test should be done to find out exactly what antibiotic is effective for that salmonella species.

If the wrong antibiotic is used or if not enough of it is used to eliminate that bacteria the salmonella can develop a resistance to that antibiotic! This is scary... this is how other bacteria have come to be resistant to all or most commonly used antibiotics. Anyone hear of the flesh eating bacteria? I rest my case!

There is a salmonella bacteria in the United States that has become resistant to commonly used antibiotics. It doesn't come from reptiles though... but it can be severe.

To help prevent transmission of salmonella bacteria

You should wash your hands between handling each animal- at least ones housed separately so if they are contaminated with salmonella or have any other contagious health problems you are not passing it on from one reptile/animal to another...

Keeping cages clean etc. will not prevent your animals from getting salmonella... in studies that have been done it's been shown that over 50% of the animals carry one or more strains of salmonella... so it's best to just assume that your herps, cat, dog, mouse, gerbil or rabbit all have salmonella and take proper precautions.

Salmonella bacteria can infect the eggs too as they pass through the females cloaca, so even captive bred animals could be infected with salmonella. :( (why do you think 90% of the chicken eggs sold for human consumption are infected by salmonella?)

Wash your hands in warm water, soaping well and scrubbing the skin and under the nails after handling any animal, their enclosures or utensils/dishes you for their care; or preparing chicken or eggs.

You may use an antibacterial soap, but do keep in mind that many bacterias are becoming resistant to antibiotics and antibacterial soaps may actually contribute to the problem and make a bacteria become resistant to some forms of antibiotics.

Keep the cages very clean- removing any feces as soon as you see them, and keep their water clean... disinfect the cages, water bowls and their food dishes with either a mild bleach and water solution, a quatricide compound or novasolon.. and if your pets are allowed to free roam don't allow them in areas used for human food consumption or preparation i.e. the kitchen. Don't wash their things in the kitchen sink either- use the tub or a utility sink and bleach it all when you are done...

Most importantly... do not allow infants, or young children (up to the age of 8 or so), the elderly, or immuno-supressed (cancer, HIV) individuals to handle your animals or preferable even go into a room that reptiles are allowed to free roam in. There are some very virulent forms of salmonella, and salmonella in general seems to affect all of the above types of people in a much more serious manner than say a generally healthy adult.

How long can Salmonella bacteria live outside it's host?

The salmonella bacteria can live outside of the host for quite a long time. In some studies it's been shown to live on formites (contaminated inanimate objects i.e. your couch..) for several months.

In one study some researchers tested an old snake skin shed that had been hanging on a wall for years and it had viable salmonella bacteria on it!!!! (JW Grier, MS Bjerke, and LK Nolan [Zool. Dept & Dept of Veterinary Science & Microbiology, North Dakota State University, Fargo ND] "Snakes and the _Salmonella_ Situation", Bull Chicago Herp Society 28(3):53-59 (1993))

In 43 of their snakes that they checked (JW Grier, MS Bjerke, and LK Nolan [Zool. Dept & Dept of Veterinary Science & Microbiology, North Dakota State University, Fargo ND] "Snakes and the _Salmonella_ Situation", Bull Chicago Herp Society 28(3):53-59 (1993)), they found 24 serotypes of Salmonella, with 38 snakes (88%) carrying one or more types of S. They checked their snakes several times, occasionally coming up with false negatives in snakes that had previously tested positive. It is interesting to note that they sent duplicate samples out to two independent labs. One found S. in all of the same samples; the other found none! That indicates the importance of using a reptile vet who uses a lab who is familiar with reptile parasites, protozoans, bacterial and fungi to do diagnostic work. They also check an old, unused multi-unit snake display cage that had been in the "home of a private collector who moved to a new house and left the cage at his former house. Although no reptiles had been in the cage or building or even the building for over six months, we recovered viable salmonellae from several units of the cage. "In the process of running our tests, we froze some samples then later thawed and analysed them. Freezing did not kill the salmonellae. These bacteria are very resistant and can persist in the environment."

So those of us with free roaming reptiles and other pets, are particularly vulnerable to contamination, and any visitors we may have are also susceptible too.

Many reptiles (and other pets!) have one strain or another of salmonella- nothing we can do about it- it's part of them ... it's all around us really!

Salmonella bacteria is usually shed in the animals feces and sometimes their saliva ... so if you have a lizard walking around licking things and dragging it's body all over stuff you have potentially contaminate a large area of your home.

So, in general it's best to think of all reptiles and animals as carrying salmonella and to use proper precautions such as good hand washing techniques, and using a bleach and water solution to clean surfaces they come in contact with, their enclosures, their dishes, and their water containers, and not to clean their things in the kitchen sink either! Clean their things in an area not used by humans and use bleach to clean the sink or tub that you used for their stuff.

Note: Lysol spray states on the bottle that it kills salmonella bacteria, but please remember that this is a TOXIC chemical to reptiles. Do not use this!

Substance:	Salmonella Remains viable:
tap water	89 days
pond water	115 days
pasture soil	120 days
garden soil	280 days
in avian feces	28 months
bovine feces	30 months
Salmonella in substrate will penetrate through the shells of turtle eggs	within one hour of contact.

Information: What is Hippotherapy?

For those not familiar, Hippotherapy is basically horseback riding for the disabled. It's a really neat thing that these horse barns do, especially for little kids and disabled kids and young adults who may otherwise never have access to horses or riding. At some point I would like to find a facility that is close by, where I can volunteer and be part of these wonderful programs.

Here is Wiki's definition to give you an idea:

Hippotherapy

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

According to the American Hippotherapy Association, Inc., "Hippotherapy" is a physical, occupational and speech therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement."

In the hippotherapy environment, a therapist uses the horse's movement to provide carefully graded sensory input. A foundation is established to improve neurological function and sensory processing, which can be generalized to a wide range of daily activities. Unlike in therapeutic horseback riding where specific riding skills are taught, in hippotherapy the movement of the horse is a means to a treatment goal.

History: The medical use of the horse which addresses people with neuromotor dysfunction is called Hippotherapy and was developed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland in the 1960's. In Germany, Hippotherapy was a treatment by two physiotherapists, a specially trained horse and horse handler. The theories of physiotherapy practice where applied and the physiotherapist would give directives to the horse handler as to the gait, tempo, cadence,and direction for the horse to preform which would affect the patient throughout the therapy treatment. The movement of the horse is carefully modulated to influence neuromuscular changes in the patient. In the late 1980's a group of physical, occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists from Canada and the USA went to Germany to learn about hippotherapy. They brought it back to Canada and the USA.

Presently in the USA: Equine Assisted Therapy is the umbrella term for any specially trained licensed health professional who incorporates the equine environment into a treatment session within their scope of practice and professional designation. Equine Assisted Therapy is the umbrella term which lists Hippotherapy and Equine Assisted Psychotherapy. Licensed Physical, Occupational Therapists, Physical and Occupational Therapy Assistants and Speech and Language Pathologists incorporate the horse's movement( hippotherapy) into their total plan of care for their patients. In the Mental Health Industry, Social Workers, Psychologists and Mental Health providers may incorporate Equine Assisted Psychotherapy into their treatment sessions. This is different from hippotherapy where the movement of the horse influences or facilitates an adaptive response in the patient. Forms of Equine Assisted Psychotherapy may have the patient on the horse or off the horse and the treatment is not focused on a set of specific movements for the horse to produce an adaptive response in the patient.

How does the horse help in Hippotherapy?

Hippotherapy comes from the Greek roots hippo-, for horse and the word therapy , thus meaning therapy with the help of a horse.The horse's pelvis has the same three dimensional movement of the humans pelvis at the walk. The horse's three dimensional movement is carefully graded at the walk in each treatment for the patient. This three dimensional movement provides physical and sensory input, which is variable, rhythmic and repetitive. The variability of the horse's gait enables the therapist to grade the degree of input to the patient and utilize this movement in combination with other treatment strategies to achieve desired therapy goals or functional outcomes. In addition, the three-dimensional movement of the horse's pelvis leads to a movement response in the patient's pelvis which is similar to the movement patterns of human walking. A foundation is established to improve neurological function and sensory processing, which can be generalized to a wide range of daily activities and address functional outcomes and therapy goals. Hippotherapy can only be provided by a licensed Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist or Speech and Language Pathologist. Adults and children with disabilities can improve their posture, muscle tone, coordination, balance,sensory/motor development as well as speech and language skills when hippotherapy is incorporated into a total Plan of Care for a patient.

What does hippotherapy help with?

• Gross motor skills
• Speech and language abilities
• Articulation
• Oral Motor skills
• Respiration and postural/core control
• Fine motor skills
• Sensory Processing
• Behavioral and cognitive abilities

Hippotherapy as a treatment strategy for Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language Therapy

Physical Therapists who have had special training in hippotherapy will incorporate the three dimensional movement of the horse to achieve gait training goals, balance goals, postural / core control goals, and strengthening and stretching. Improvement in gross motor skills and functional activities for developing children with disabilities are gained as the natural environment and variability of the horse's gait present as new and unique to a child. Coordination and balance as well as equilibrium skills are addressed through the variability of the horse's movement as well as the rhythm, tempo and cadence of the horses movement.

In Occupational Therapy a specially trained Occupational Therapist will incorporate hippotherapy, the movement of the horse, to modulate and organize the sensory systems. Sensory processing via hippotherapy simultaneously addresses the vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, visual, olfactory, and auditory systems. The occupational therapist will incorporate the movement of the horse, hippotherapy, to modulate the sensory system in preparation for a therapy or treatment goal and lead to a functional activity. The reciprocal three dimensional movement of the horse helps with the development of fine motor skills, visual motor skills, bilateral control and cognition as well.

Although many people associate hippotherapy with physical therapy, hippotherapy as a Speech and Language Therapy strategy is growing more common. Hippotherapy uses a horse to accomplish traditional speech, language, cognitive, and swallowing goals. Carefully modulated, well cadenced equine movement offers an effective means of addressing speech and language deficits through facilitation of the physiological systems that support speech and language function. Utilizing hippotherapy, appropriate sensory processing strategies have been integrated into the treatment to facilitate successful communication.

Medical conditions for which hippotherapy is indicated

Some medical conditions for which hippotherapy may be commonly indicated are listed below. However, hippotherapy is not for every patient; specially trained Physical or Occupational Therapists or Speech and Language Pathologists evaluate each potential patient on an individual basis as per their professional designation and within their scope of practice. There are specific contraindications and precautions for some conditions and diagnosis.

• Autism Spectrum Disorders
• Cerebral palsy
• Cerebral vascular accident (stroke)
• Developmental delay
• Down syndrome
• Functional spinal curvature (scoliosis)
• Learning or language disabilities
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Sensory Processing Disorders
• Traumatic brain injury

HPCS certification

Hippotherapy Clinical Specialty (HPCS) Certification is a designation indicating board certification of therapists who have advanced knowledge and experience in hippotherapy. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech and language pathologists who have been practicing their profession for at least three years (6,000 hours) and have 100 hours of hippotherapy practice within the three years prior are permitted to take the Hippotherapy Clinical Specialty Certification Examination. Those who pass become board certified in hippotherapy and are entitled to use the HPCS designation after their name. HPCS certification is for five years. After five years the therapist can either retake the exam, or show written evidence of 120 hours of continuing education distributed over the five years, with a relative balance of 50% (60 hours) in education related to equine subject matter: psychology, training, riding skills, etc., 25% (30 hours) in education related to direct service in your professional discipline and 25% (30 hours) in any other subject related to hippotherapy or show written evidence of scholarly activity* appropriate to the field of hippotherapy. Examples of acceptable scholarly activity include Hippotherapy Faculty in Graduate Education, Publication or research of scholarly article in Juried Publication, Scientific research related to hippotherapy, Teaching/developing courses, AHA Approved Course Faculty. The exam is offered twice a year, in February and in August. Please go to the Professional Testing Corporation of New York's website at www.ptcny.com or call them at 212.356.0660 for further information.

External links

http://www.americanhippotherapyassociation.org/
Federation of Riding for the Disabled: http://www.frdi.net/
NARHA: http://www.narha.org/