Keeping Ticks Under Control

Ticks, a species of arachnid, feed on blood and can transmit serious illnesses such as Lyme disease and tick fever to pets and people. They also cause skin irritation, and if an infestation gets out of control, anemia could occur.

To manage ticks, ask your vet about treatments designed to be applied monthly to an area the pet cannot reach by licking (usually, the skin between the shoulder blades). Such treatments kill ticks within hours of contact with the pet's coat.

Because ticks also live and lay eggs in places such as fields, under rocks and in crevices, treat surroundings, furniture, and pet bedding occasionally with a pet- and human-safe insecticide. After taking dogs on walks, check thoroughly to make sure no parasites have attached themselves.

Whenever you find a tick, regardless of its size - whether it is one of the small reddish-brown ones or a bloated, grayish one - do not squeeze or crush it. This may release its eggs and any viruses it is carrying into the environment.

Do not listen to people who tell you to kill ticks with hot matches. You may accidentally burn your pet instead. Some advise removing attached ticks by killing them with a pyrethrin spray, then picking the dead ticks off with tweezers; others just pull them out. However, the latter method often means that the tick's mouthparts remain embedded in the pet's skin, irritating it.

After removal, clean the bite and apply antiseptic cream.

Rabbit Disease: Red Urine

Normal rabbit urine can be clear to turbid, and the color can vary from yellow to orange and red. Red urine can be due to pigments from the food that is the rabbit is eating or blood which will then indicate a urinary tract infection, cystitis, bladder stones, or womb cancer in female rabbits.

Your vet will need to analyze the urine in order to differentiate between pigmentation or blood and then the appropriate treatment or further diagnostics can then be instituted.

How You Can Help Abandoned or Lost Pets?

If you com across an animal that has obviously been abandoned (that is, it looks frightened, unfamiliar with its surroundings, ill-fed, and dirty), help it.

If it is friendly and you are able to approach it, find a suitable leash/rope or carrier and take it home. After that, call an animal welfare organization to see if they have fosterers available to take the animal in. If the animal is in good shape, young, and friendly, the SPCA too may be able to put it up for adoption.

If you can adopt the animal, all the better! Call a welfare society or see a vet for advice about caring for your new pet. If you can't adopt, and the welfare groups have no fosterers but you want the animal to live, perhaps you will be generous enough to sponsor its maintenance elsewhere?

If you cannot catch an animal that clearly needs help, yet runs away from you despite your efforts, some welfare organizations have volunteers who may be able to help you catch it. However, not all have sufficient manpower, so try your best first.

Do no confuse sterilized strays with abandoned pets. Sterilized strays are cared for by animal welfare volunteers. You will recognize them by their familiarity with where they live, and their healthy appearance.

Also, if you see a young kitten on its own, do not take it away. Its mother is probably out looking for food and will be very distressed if she returns to find it missing. To be certain, remain at a distance to observe. You may have to wait a long time, or return later in the day to check. If the mother is still caring for the kitten, let her do her in peace.

Snuffles: Respiratory Tract Infection In Rabbits

"Snuffles" is a respiratory tract infection also known as Rabbit "Flu." Affected rabbits are sneezing and have nasal discharge (watery or mucous).

There are 3 main causes of "snuffles" in rabbits, namely infectious causes, nasal foreign bodies such as hair, grass, hay, seeds etc, and tooth root abscesses/infections. The most common cause for snuffles is a bacteria called Pasteurella. However not all "snuffles" cases are due to this bacteria. There are other bacteria and viruses that can lead to respiratory tract infection too.

Infected rabbits present in varying degrees of severity. Some just present with mild clinical signs like sneezing and nasal discharge, while others present with breathing, difficulties and lung involvement.

Diagnosis is based on clinical signs and/or chest x-rays and endoscopy findings. Most rabbits will respond to antibiotics but some may require long term antibiotics.

What Can Happen When Pets Are Abandoned or Lost?

A domesticated animal is very different from a wild one. It does not know how to fend for itself. It might barely know how to feed itself. If abandoned, it is vulnerable to countless dangers:

* It may be attacked by predators or territorial animals of its own species. Even if it does not die from an attack, the resulting wounds may slowly infect and kill it.
* It may be abused by cruel people.
* It may wander onto the roads and be hit by a vehicle.
* It may die of heatstroke.
* It may die from thirst or starvation.
* It may suffer the pain of disease, infections, or injury.
* It will be bewildered, disorientated, and unable to defend itself.

If you can no longer care for a pet, never abandon it. Try to have it rehomed. If that fails, take it to the SPCA or a veterinarian to have it put down. Some people may think it extreme to put a pet to sleep if it can't find a new home, but seeing animals suffering severe illness, a quick and humane death is infinitely preferable to a long-drawn-out one.

Dog Breed: Pembroke Welsh Corgi

Origins: Interbred with the Cardigan Welsh Corgi until the 1930s, after which the two became separate varieties. Originally used to herd cattle.

Size: Small. About 25 0 30cm tall at the shoulder, but very sturdily built.

Physical Appearance: Dense-coated, foxy-faced, and generally a "prettier" dog than the Cardigan, which has a bushy, long one. Otherwise similarly built, with upright, prominent, slightly rounded ears.

Characteristics: Alert, active, bold, outgoing, with plenty of stamina. As Pembroke Welsh Corgis were bred to herd cattle by nipping at their heels, most individuals of this breed are naturally rather nippy, even more so than Cardigans, so they do not make good pets for children.

Colors: Red, sable, fawn, black and tan, with or without white markings.

Special Facts: This is the favorite breed of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II!

Diarrhea In Rabbits

The presence of soft stools in rabbits can be misinterpreted as diarrhea. These "soft stools" that look like a bunch of tiny grapes stuck onto the backside of rabbits are often caecotrophs which are normal.

Rabbits with diarrhea often have watery stools and are ill. Inappropriate diet, sudden changes in diet, certain antibiotics, stress, intestinal parasites, and enteritis are some of the causes of diarrhea in rabbits.

A fecal analysis is often performed to look for intestinal parasites. Treatments include giving probiotics to restore normal gut flora and supportive treatment.

Diarrhea in rabbits is a serious medical condition and warrants immediate veterinary attention especially if the rabbit stops eating and becomes dull and listless. Rabbits can die from severe diarrhea.