Category: Animals

Since your pet is an important part of the family, you should seek out the very best products to keep them healthy. Whether you have an active dog that loves to get her exercise, or you have an older cat that has special dietary needs. With a wide variety of products from food to medications, Total Pet Supply is your one stop shop for you pet needs. Its todays most trusted online pet store with a commitment to providing the most affordable prices on the best products to keep your beloved pet happy and healthy. Plus, since they ship right to your front door, the convenience simply cant be beaten.

Their dog products range from shampoos to keep their coat and skin healthy to heartworm medication to keep them healthy for a very long time. Whatever special needs your pooch might have, Total Pet Supply is the place to go. Whether big or small, young or old, they have what you need for your special dog. For cats, they have everything from hairball remedies to flea solutions. Keeping your kitty healthy is an important responsibility for a pet owner, and they have the products youll need to give your cat a long and happy life.

Total Pet Supply is the place to go to keep your special pet in top shape. With value and customer service as top priorities, they are committed to giving you the best prices and a price match policy that guarantees you will get the lowest prices. Keeping you pet happy and healthy is a priority for any pet owner, so turn to Total Pet Supply for your pets health care needs and keep them around for a long time to come. From shampoos to medications, theyve got everything you need for pet care and wellness.

When it comes to window treatments, you might have the safety of your family members in mind; did you ever wonder, however, how they might also affect your pets? Since your pets are more than likely at home all day, they will need to be kept from the dangers of hurting themselves and destroying your curtains. Here are some pet-friendly tips that you can use for your reliable window treatments.

Make sure that you keep curtains and drapes away from the reach of your pets, especially cats who might want nothing more than to make scratching posts out of your fabric. Even if they don’t do this, they might end up leaving trails of fur all over the fabric, and it will be a pain to clean up. If possible, you might want to opt for Roman-style shades, valances, blinds and other treatments that don’t exactly dangle onto the floor. .

Your blinds should be made of durable materials that can easily be raised (even if just halfway through), since cats can still jump over to your windowsill and knock the blind over and damage some of the slats. There are some tricks that you can do to train your cats not to keep doing this, though, like taping foil on the ledge since cats generally don’t like the sound that their feet make on the foil.

If you have to use drapes though, choose fabrics that won’t let fur cling to them, like cotton. Use a microfiber cleaning cloth to regularly wipe off any fur at the end of a day, or you can also run your drapes or curtains through the washer every week or so (some fabrics might not be washable, so check the manufacturer’s instructions carefully).

Strangulation is also a constant fear among pet owners. You can ease this fear by purchasing cord safety devices like those meant for use in child safety; this will also protect the safety of your pets who constantly nibble on dangling cords.

It’s always important to consider the safety of the furry little members of your family when choosing excellent window treatments to install. To know more about pet-proofing your windows, check out ehow.com/way_5548116_pet-friendly-window-treatments.html.

One cant help but wonder if Paris Hilton knew prior to having a kinkajou that the little rainforest mammal could potentially live up to 25 years. Did she know that they can often be noisy, with shrills, shrieks, yelps, and even whistles breaking the nighttime silence? Did she know that they need lots of exercise and a tall cage with branches and ledges for climbing? Did she know that some are said to be allergic to strawberries and that citrus fruits and dairy should be off limits in their diet?

Maybe she did know. Maybe she didnt. Either way, last year her Kinkajou, Baby Luv, had enough and bit the heiress on her arm, sending Hilton to the hospital where doctors treated the wound and administered a tetanus shot.

Hilton, who eventually got rid of Baby Luv, was also spotted sporting the kinkajou on her shoulder at red carpet events and while shopping at trendy boutiques. A proper enclosure may not be the rainforest but the red carpet is even farther from it. Furthermore, the thought of a kinkajou on the streets of Beverly Hills somehow eclipses the fact that they’re not even legal in the state of California.

In todays internet age its surprisingly easy to have a dwarf caiman or lesser anteater jump from the images on the Discovery Channel to your home. Sitting in front of your computer you can purchase a Japanese squirrel for $175, a white Siberian chipmunk for $350 or a water monitor lizard for an even $100. Armed with nothing but a credit card, one of these animals could arrive at your doorstep in a matter of weeks.

Owning an exotic animal is not only a labor of love but a test in skill, patience and know-how. In an American Pet Products Manufacturers Association National Pet Owners Survey, 18.2 million Americans undertook that labor in 2005-2006. Another survey by the same association pointed toward a 1.4 million exotic pet ownership jump in the three years between 2002 and 2005. According to the Humane Society of the United States, the business of exotic and wild animals as pets in the United States alone is estimated to be worth $15 billion annually.

Never Be Impulsive

Impulse buys can cost an avid shopper thousands of dollars every year. Shoes and purses though are inanimate objects that can be returned, disposed of or re-gifted. A living breathing animal is anything but.

Dr. Don J. Harris, veterinarian and director at the Miami-based Avian & Exotic Animal Medical Center, urges clarity of mind when you spot that extravagant bird or small furry friend.

“I think they should stop and they should do their homework,” said Harris. “I think they should walk out and go home and research via the internet, via the library, via local professionals. They should research the appropriateness of whatever pet it is they are considering.”

Its through that extensive research that the realities of owning that particular animal become clear. If you cherish your sleep, nocturnal animals may not be a good choice. If you keep your home warm, an animal that fairs better in cooler temperatures may not be for you.

“If youre looking for a bird thats a great talker you dont buy a sun conure because the sun conure is beautiful but all they do is scream. They rarely actually talk,” Harris said. “On the other hand if you want a bird thats playful and highly social and thats the priority, you wouldnt get an African gray because theyre very anti-social.”

Homework may be the first step to getting an exotic pet but understanding what you want is also crucial. “Every species has its unique characteristics that make them right or wrong for each individual,” Harris continued.

Understanding the Husbandry

Harris explains the husbandry as nutritional and habitat requirements such as lighting and temperature. Your pre-purchase research should extensively include these things. Harris explains what people should know before they take the plunge.

“They should know, not just guess, what the appropriate habitat requirements are. They should know what their nutrient requirements are,” said Harris. “The biggest problem we see here is malnutrition. Probably 70 or 80 percent of problems we see are directly or indirectly the result of malnutrition.”

Harris adds that poor habitat is also rampant in the exotic pet care world. Habitat problems range from not enough lighting, to not enough space and incorrect bedding material. Properly prepare the habitat well before the pets arrival. Understanding the husbandry also means knowing how to maintain the environment, how often to maintain it and the animals precise dietary needs.

Comprehension of the animals requirements can prevent problems that stem from poor diet or unsuitable habitat. Harris recounted a recent patient whose only problem was poor nutrition.

“An animal came in with horrible infections and abscesses in a variety of places,” Harris said. “The patient had been seen by another vet that knew little about exotics and the infection was treated directly and the underlying cause, which was malnutrition, was never identified.”

It wasnt until after Harris saw the patient that it made a full recovery. “This patient was managed and completely recovered using nothing but nutrient therapy,” said Harris.

Know the Expenses

Maleesa Losnedahl of Lansing, Ill., owner of a small grey chinchilla named Simon, purchased the furry rodent nearly four years ago for around a hundred dollars. The cage, specifically made for animals like Simon, cost another hundred dollars. Several times a month Simons cage is cleaned and new bedding is put in. The bedding can cost anywhere from $5 to $10 per bag. The chinchillas food, not even the most costly expense, adds around $20 per month. Dust bath, a unique necessity for the animal, amounts to about another $20 per month.

Chew toys, treats, cage accessories, and veterinary visits are all other expenses one can incur to simply own an animal that weighs about a pound. After at least a hundred dollars per month, Losnedahl has a happy and healthy chinchilla.

The bottom line: know your expenses beyond the preliminary purchase of the animal. Expenses shouldn’t catch you off guard.

Proper Veterinary Care

Finding proper veterinary care for your exotic is quite simple, as long as you know what to do. The “Dr. Harris Method” goes something like this.

First you get out the yellow pages. You identify all the clinics that claim to do exotics and you cross them off. You then call the clinics that dont claim to do exotics and you ask them if they do exotics. If they say yes you say thank you and hang up.

Next, you call all those clinics that dont claim to do exotics and you ask them if they do exotics. If they say no you then ask them who they recommend.

“You will discover a pattern,” Harris said. “You will discover that all the veterinarians in a given locale will know whos competent.”

Harris adds not to be fooled by large fancy ads. “If you have a full page ad in the yellow pages and it says we do exotics better than anybody else on the planet and nobody recommends them they are probably all BS.”

Know the Law

In Florida it is not necessary to obtain a permit to keep hedgehogs, chinchillas, honey possums, prairie dogs or even sugar gliders. You do need a permit to keep skunks, raccoons, and opossums though. In Maryland on the other hand, skunks and raccoons are prohibited. Ferrets can be owned in Florida with a license but in California they are flat out illegal.

At the risk of losing your pet, do the research on your states exotic pet laws. Some exotic pets require no license at all while others are completly illegal. Although government sites are a good resource to acquire your information, they have the tendency to be out of date. When in doubt, make phone calls or visit the corresponding office. Most of the time, its the fish and wildlife commission in your state that oversees these laws and permits.

“The biggest obstacle is not knowing the medicine, because almost all medicine is improvisation, but knowing the husbandry, the nutritional requirements, the habitat requirements, the lighting requirement, the temperature and all those things,” said Harris. “Thats the difficult part because the fact of the matter is I dont think we know what all the requirements are for all the animals.”

An exotic pet can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. The important thing is to provide the exact same experience for the pet.

The UK is a nation of animal lovers. With an estimated one in two households owning at least one pet, it’s clear that our kinship with the furred, feathered or finned fraternity is as strong as ever. But how exactly does this translate into financial terms?

Well, many millions of pounds are spent each year on domestic animals, with everything from tasty treats to a new collar and leash ending up on Rover’s letter to Santa. But in terms of pet protection, it’s estimated that only around 15% of pet owners take out insurance cover for their beloved animals.

It’s safe to say that animal treatment doesn’t come cheap, with vet bills accounting for anything up to a third of the total cost of owning a pet. So a comparatively small monthly outlay could be all that it takes to secure top animal healthcare without going deep into debt further down the line.

But getting the best value-for-money for your pet insurance premiums and reducing those medical bills requires an understanding of the options. There are three broad types of pet insurance available.

Lifetime cover is usually the most costly form of pet insurance, but it’s also the most comprehensive. Your pet is covered for the life of any illness or condition. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that some policies impose a yearly claim maximum.

Maximum benefit cover allows a claim to be made at any time but typically applies a maximum cover amount. The maximum claim limits are often applied separately, so if you reach the maximum with one condition, you’re still eligible to claim for any subsequent ailments.

Time limited policies limit claims to a set period, usually of twelve months for any one condition. These policies aren’t suitable for animals that are susceptible to long term chronic health problems, but they are the cheapest policies available.

Naturally in the 21st century, when buying any pet health insurance policy it will pay to do your homework and research the full benefits, as well as checking out reviews of the pet insurance provider. There’s a lot to be said for reputations with insurance providers, so Google could well be a person’s best friend when searching for pet protection online.

For a little extra cost, some policies may include overseas vet fees, kennel/cattery fees and even reward money if a meandering moggy does a disappearing act. So as with any insurance policy, pet insurance isn’t a case of -one size fits all’, you have to research what’s best for your animal and check that it’s offered by a reputable provider.

Janine Barclay writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

Tiger stripes. Leopard print. Giraffe spots. Animal print patterns have survived well through the 80s and are still everywhere in the fashion world today. Seen by some as trashy, animal prints are actually one of the longest standing patterns in fashion, seen on everything from lingerie to shoes to blankets and curtains.

Animal print stays popular because it can be used so diversely in different styles. A mini dress that is entirely leopard print can have the wild, fun, and flirty look, while a black mini dress with a leopard print trim, or leopard print shoes, add an edge to an otherwise classic outfit.

Much like the camouflage pattern, animal print can come in a variety of colors and still be recognizable from the pattern. The classic black and white zebra print can be a bold statement, but if the print is done in blue or yellow hues, it becomes softer and more feminine.

Stars on the red carpet are constantly seen with animal print touches, whether its a red dress with leopard print heels, or a zebra print tie, the classic print adds a touch of fun and spontaneity to any outfit.

Lingerie, in particular, is a hot spot for animal print. Animal prints can be found on everything from corsets to stockings, in minimal amounts and as the center piece. A feisty leopard print bustier with red ribbons can make for a hot and edgy look. A zebra trimmed lace camisole set is a sweet look with just an added touch of vibrant fabric.

It is important to look classy when wearing anything with animal print, to avoid making the pattern look like it hasnt changed since the 80s. If you are going for a subtle touch of animal pattern on your clothing, limit yourself to only two appearances of the print. Shoes, belts, jewelry, headwear, or trim with animal print are all simple touches that can be added to an outfit. Also, mixing animal prints with each other or other wild patterns can make the outfit look frumpy, complicated, or mismatched.

If you want the animal print to be the main focus of the outfit, then make everything else about the outfit simple. For a zebra print dress, choose classic black or white heels that wont clash with the dress. For a leopard print corset, choose black or sheer stockings to avoid looking bulky.

A wide variety of animal print fashion pieces can be found in retail stores and online. Places like Target, Wet Seal, and Forever 21 have all carried classic animal print pieces in their juniors and womens departments for years. Online lingerie site Yandy carries a variety of animal print lingerie.

No matter what the occasion, animal print is a classy, fun pattern that can be used in an outfit for a unique touch.