http://www.critterology.com/main.rss All the latest pet and livestock articles from Critterology.com! en-us Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:37:52 MST http://www.critterology.com/canine_perianal_fistula_or_anal_furunculosis-202.html http://www.critterology.com/canine_perianal_fistula_or_anal_furunculosis-202.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:32:11 MST Perianal fistulas or anal furunculosis is a chronic, progressive disease characterized by ulceration of the perianal tissue (tissue surrounding the anus) in the dog. The clinical signs of perianal fistulas may be present for years, gradually worsening over time. A fistula is defined as an abnormal passage or communication between an internal organ and the surface of the body or between two organs, and it is typically seen as multiple draining tracts, in this case surrounding the rectum. http://www.critterology.com/raw_food_diets_for_cats_and_dogs-201.html http://www.critterology.com/raw_food_diets_for_cats_and_dogs-201.html Tue, 29 Apr 2008 20:25:43 MST Most pet owners feed their pets traditionally-prepared commercial food. Due in part to the recent pet food recall, more people are turning to home-prepared diets for their pets. http://www.critterology.com/lyme_disease_or_borreliosis-200.html http://www.critterology.com/lyme_disease_or_borreliosis-200.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:15:17 MST In the United States, Lyme Borreliosis is the most commonly-reported tick-transmitted disease in humans. Lyme disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi which is a spirochete (corkscrew-shaped bacteria) that is transmitted by various Ixodes ticks. Lyme disease is also seen in Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia. http://www.critterology.com/tularemia_or_rabbit_fever-199.html http://www.critterology.com/tularemia_or_rabbit_fever-199.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:11:57 MST A disease first described in a California ground squirrel around 1913, tularemia is also known as "rabbit" or "deerfly fever". The disease is caused by a gram-negative bacterium by the name of "Francisella tularensis". The bacterial septicemia may affect over 50 different species of wild and domestic mammals, birds, reptiles, fish, and even man. http://www.critterology.com/milk_thistle_treating_chronic_liver_problems_and_diabetes-198.html http://www.critterology.com/milk_thistle_treating_chronic_liver_problems_and_diabetes-198.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:06:25 MST Is your dog or cat suffering from liver failure, or have you just found out there is an elevation in their liver enzyme levels? Milk thistle, or an extract thereof, may prove to be helpful. In fact, milk thistle may help with that case of pancreatitis or diabetes. Milk thistle has also been found to have protective properties in those animals receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatments. http://www.critterology.com/rift_valley_fever-197.html http://www.critterology.com/rift_valley_fever-197.html Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:03:51 MST Endemic to Madagascar, eastern, and southern Africa is an RNA disease causing virus named for the area in which it was first reported in 1930 called Rift Valley Fever (RVF). The virus has since been detected as far north as Egypt and over to the Arabian Peninsula countries of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Although an important pathogen in its native area affecting domestic ruminants and people, RVF is feared as a potential biological weapon capable of spreading the globe by the movement of infected people, animals, and insects. http://www.critterology.com/lead_poisoning_in_dogs_and_cats-196.html http://www.critterology.com/lead_poisoning_in_dogs_and_cats-196.html Thu, 10 Apr 2008 06:26:35 MST According to both the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, pets are more likely to exceed recommended levels of lead exposure through household contamination rather than by pet toys. Pets and children may be exposed to lead contained in consumer products like lead sinkers used to weigh down fishing lines, the consumption of old paint chips, linoleum, certain paints used by artists, or the inhalation of lead dust when surfaces of older homes are scraped or sanded. Old paint may contain up to 40% lead and is the most common cause of toxicity. http://www.critterology.com/vesicular_stomatitis_in_horses_cows_and_pigs-195.html http://www.critterology.com/vesicular_stomatitis_in_horses_cows_and_pigs-195.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:11:43 MST Vesicular stomatitis (VS) is a viral disease of horses, cattle and swine that produces characteristic lesions known as vesicles and erosions. After a short incubation period of anywhere from 3 to 15 days, affected animals will have an elevated temperature, appear lethargic (depressed) and anorexic, and often exhibit drooling of saliva (ptyalism) and lameness. The characteristic sign of VS is the development of vesicles. http://www.critterology.com/heartwater_or_cowdriosis_in_cattle_sheep_and_goats-194.html http://www.critterology.com/heartwater_or_cowdriosis_in_cattle_sheep_and_goats-194.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:07:23 MST Heartwater or Cowdriosis is a disease of cattle, sheep, goats and wild ruminants endemic to Sub-Sahara Africa, Madagascar, and portions of the Caribbean such as Antigua and Guadeloupe. Heartwater is caused by obligate intracellular rickettsial organisms that parasitize macrophages (a type of white blood cell). After initially replicating in macrophages, the organism will move to the vascular endothelium where it undergoes additional replication. http://www.critterology.com/fescue_toxicosis_in_cattle-193.html http://www.critterology.com/fescue_toxicosis_in_cattle-193.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 07:02:52 MST Tall fescue (Festuca elatior or F. arundinace) is among the most common cool season pasture grasses grown in North America and in other countries having a temperate climate. Almost all of the pasture planted before 1980 is infected with Neotyphodium coenophialum, a microscopic fungus or endophyte. http://www.critterology.com/rose_hair_tarantulas_or_chilean_rose_hair-192.html http://www.critterology.com/rose_hair_tarantulas_or_chilean_rose_hair-192.html Tue, 01 Apr 2008 06:56:29 MST Capable of calmly walking over the hands of screaming, squirrelly kids without being fazed, the Chilean rose hair or rose hair tarantula (Grammastola rosea) is one of the calmest and hardiest tarantulas in the pet trade. This particular spider can be a wonderful ambassador to introduce people to the wonderful world of invertebrates (animals without a backbone). The rose hair tarantula's natural habitat is the desert and scrub regions of Chile, Bolivia, and Argentina. http://www.critterology.com/castor_bean_plants_and_ricin_poisoning_in_horses-191.html http://www.critterology.com/castor_bean_plants_and_ricin_poisoning_in_horses-191.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:35:56 MST The castor bean plant (Ricinus communis) or palma christi is a common ornamental houseplant with large, palmated, lobed leaves that may be found in almost any location in the United States. The plant is also grown for the manufacturing of castor oil. This same plant has a more sinister side and may be used to produce a potent phytotoxin called ricin. http://www.critterology.com/fescue_toxicosis_in_horses-190.html http://www.critterology.com/fescue_toxicosis_in_horses-190.html Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:25:31 MST Is your mare having trouble with foaling? Think your foaling dates are almost a month off? Is your mare producing enough milk to care for her foal? Did you get what looks like a full term foal only to find it stillborn? This unfortunate situation may be a result of your pasture. Tall fescue (Festuca elatior or F. arundinace) is among the most common cool season pasture grass grown in North America and in other countries having a temperate climate. http://www.critterology.com/oleander_toxicosis-189.html http://www.critterology.com/oleander_toxicosis-189.html Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:56:58 MST Oleander is an ornamental shrub that flowers in various colors including white, red, pink and violet. This plant is an evergreen perennial that flowers throughout the summer months. Originally a native plant of the Mediterranean, oleander is a very drought-tolerant ornamental. http://www.critterology.com/canine_ehrlichiosis_or_tropical_canine_pancytopenia-188.html http://www.critterology.com/canine_ehrlichiosis_or_tropical_canine_pancytopenia-188.html Wed, 12 Mar 2008 12:32:02 MST Canine Ehrlichiosis is also known as tropical canine pancytopenia, canine typhus, canine hemorrhagic fever, idiopathic hemorrhagic syndrome, Nairobi bleeding disorder, canine rickettsiosis, and tracker dog disease. Ehrlichiosis is caused by obligate intracellular rickettsial organisms that parasitize thrombocytes (the precursor of platelets) of the animal affected. Platelets are important in the function of blood clotting. http://www.critterology.com/choosing_the_right_breed_of_dog_for_you-187.html http://www.critterology.com/choosing_the_right_breed_of_dog_for_you-187.html Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:43:41 MST Want to adopt a dog, but don't know which dog breed is the best fit for your family? Dr. Susan Muller Esneault gives some guidelines and suggestions for choosing breeds on MedCall on WAAY-31 TV. http://www.critterology.com/traveling_with_your_pet_the_holistic_way-186.html http://www.critterology.com/traveling_with_your_pet_the_holistic_way-186.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:07:49 MST Thinking of taking that long weekend trip to the mountains, or planning relief from the cold by soaking up some rays on the beach? Maybe you are just planning on visiting the family for a day or two. Regardless of the destination, if you are planning to include the household pet on your next trip, they may need some help in dealing with the stress of travel. People seem to crave an escape or break in their normal routine to help unwind and get away from it all. http://www.critterology.com/easter_lily_or_trumpet_lily_toxicosis_in_cats-185.html http://www.critterology.com/easter_lily_or_trumpet_lily_toxicosis_in_cats-185.html Sun, 09 Mar 2008 14:03:06 MST The “Easter” or “trumpet lily”, whose scientific name is Lilium longiflorum, is a plant which is grown from bulbs. The plant itself has large, showy, funnel-formed flowers. The trumpet lily is popular at Easter, and for many it is symbolic of the resurrection of Christ. http://www.critterology.com/osteoarthritis_or_degenerative_arthritis_in_dogs_cats_horses-184.html http://www.critterology.com/osteoarthritis_or_degenerative_arthritis_in_dogs_cats_horses-184.html Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:41:51 MST Is your pet having more difficulty getting up in the morning? Does he or she walk around still legged for the first 10 to 15 minutes in the morning to get warmed up? Is your pet limping especially on those cold, wet, rainy mornings? Does your pet limp around following that Frisbee session? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then your pet is probably suffering from osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease (DJD) that is characterized by the wearing out of the articular cartilage (the cartilage located at joint surfaces), hypertrophy of the bone at the margins (enlargements of the end of the bones due to periostitis), and changes in the synovial membrane (the lining of the joints). Arthritis is characterized by stiffness and soreness which results in a decrease in motion and activity. http://www.critterology.com/vitamin_c_deficiency_in_guinea_pigs-182.html http://www.critterology.com/vitamin_c_deficiency_in_guinea_pigs-182.html Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:36:52 MST A vitamin C deficiency, also know as scurvy, occurs when an animal lacks the hepatic (liver) enzyme called 1-gulonolactone oxidase necessary for the conversion of L-gulonolactone to L-ascorbic acid or vitamin C, and cannot store the vitamin to any appreciable extent in the body. Essentially three groups of animals lack this enzyme and they include man, monkeys, and the guinea pig. Vitamin C is necessary for the formation of collagen, enhancement of the intercellular cement that holds cells together, and the formation of bone matrix and tooth dentin.