Make Money Easy For You

Basic Horse Care

Horses are amazingly beautiful and sensitive creatures. Horses require not only understanding and patience to have a horse as a pet, it also requires a whole lot of care.

Herd Mentality:
Observe horses in the herd system, each horse’s welfare in the wild depends upon an instinctive submission to the discipline of the herd. The instinct is for immediate action. To the horse, action is survival. When horses live in an herd environment, they often take turns sleeping and standing guard for any predators. When the leader of the herd signals danger they take flight.
Learning respect and ascending to authority starts on the first day of life for the foals, there is a distinct pecking order in herds of horses.
It is important to keep a quiet profile around horses. Horses naturally do not like unnecessary noise because in the wild their survival depends on detection of predators with their hearing. Extraneous noise interferes with this predator detection. This predator detection is tightly coupled with a horse’s flight reflex. Due to these survival genetics, horses have a physiological wiring in their brains that predisposes them to prefer quietness and to become bothered by unnecessary noise. Many horses can get startled easily from abrupt noises and this could result in injury to the horse, the rider, or people around the horse. Talk to your horse in a quiet, reassuring voice.

Relationship With Horses:A horse will love you if, first and foremost, you treat it fairly, and secondly, if you allow yourself to develop a relationship with it in the same way you would a human partner. There are too many who will look after the horse’s material needs but put nothing back into the partnership itself. The horse born in captivity will identify with an alternative provider and companion, resulting in a healthy relationship from the beginning. A healthy relationship with your horse requires: trust, coupled with respect, fondness with compliance, and a desire to please.

Check Your Horse:
Examine your horse every day and especially prior to riding the horse. Carefully examine the horse’s legs and back for any unusual heat or lumps. Make sure that the horse’s eyes are alert and not glazy. Listen for any excessive noise or gurgling sounds coming from your horse’s stomach. Catching problems before they become serious is critical to keeping a show horse sound and alive.
Exercise caution and discretion when around stallions and mares when they are in heat. They are dealing with hormones on an order of magnitude that you probably can not comprehend. Stallions typically bite and some may be easily triggered into violent behavior.

Grooming Horses:Keep your horse clean. Keep your horse’s entire coat free from dirt, mud, sand, and sweat. Brush your horse every day. Pick out your horse’s feet every day. Wash out any sweat residue from the saddle pad or girth every day. Wash out any dirt or sand residue, as from the riding arena, on your horses legs every day. A number of different problems can result if a horse’s coat is not kept clean.

Barn Care:Keep your horse’s stall clean. Make sure that your horse’s stall is cleaned every day. Be sure that any wetness is removed with the manure. Replace the removed bedding with fresh, clean, dry bedding. Water should be dumped from buckets every day without exception. Unhealthy dirt and bacteria can build up in a bucket if it is not cleaned on a daily basis. Clean water is essential to maintaining a healthy horse. Make sure your horse always has clean, fresh water available.

Training A Horse:The intelligence of the horse increases rapidly with education. An intelligent trainer can make an intelligent horse. A kind but firm trainer will result in a disciplined but pleasing horse.

Horse Feed:
Feed your horse(s) at the same times every day. A horse may get upset and colic or injure themselves by kicking the stall or pawing, if not fed when feeding is expected. You should not make radical changes in a horse’s feed program. If you must make a change in the feed program, make the change gradually. Drastic changes in a horse’s feed program can cause the horse to colic and in some cases, may die. Your horse’s stomach is a highly sensitive bio-reactor that maintains a delicate balance of the organisms that digest food in your horse’s digestive track.

Visitors should not feed a horse that you do not own without the owner’s permission; no carrots, no apples, no treats, nothing. The horse could potentially, get sick if they have an allergy or sickness.

Pay attention to everything that goes into your horse; that means all feed, all hay, all water, all treats, all supplements, all pills, and all shots. This knowledge could save your horse’s life in an emergency situation. Post this information on your horse’s stall door so that it is available to a vet if you are not around in an emergency. Make sure that your horse gets high-quality feed and hay. Your horse’s health and soundness depends on the nutrition that you provide for them. Take good care of your horse. A rider without a horse is no rider at all.

Vet Care:Make sure that you have a good equine veterinarian. A good vet will save you money in the long run and may save your horse’s life some day. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Make sure your horse has all the vaccinations that are normal for your geographical location. All horses should be on a good worming program to control intestinal parasites. A horse should be wormed by a vet at least twice a year.

Horse Flies:
In the summer spray your horse trailer down with fly spray about 10 minutes before you load the horses. The flies should leave, and your horses will be without those pesky flies!

Cooling Horses:Never spray a hot, sweaty horse with cold water immediately after working the horse. This can cause muscle spasms and binding, or shock that can lead to death. Wait until the horse is breathing regularly, and use warm water if it is available. If a horse has heat shock, consult your vet and the vet may instruct you to cold hose the horse, even if still hot and sweaty. Never put a horse in a stall or confined area while sweaty or while they are still breathing heavily. This can result in shock and/or colic that can lead to death. Walk the horse until the horse is cooled out and the breathing is normal.

Shoeing:Horses’ hooves generally grow approximately 1 cm in a month, and take nearly a year to grow from the coronet band to the ground. Horse’s hooves need to be trimmed regularly (about every 6-8 weeks). Shoeing a horse does not hurt them. If you were to grow out your finger nail, you could put an earring/pin through it without causing discomfort; however, if you pushed the pin through the part of your nail that is attached to the soft tissue of your finger, it would hurt. When horse shoes are nailed in, they are nailed at an angle so which the horse doesn’t feel it.

Make sure that you have a good farrier, especially if you show your horse over jumps. The concussion from landing from jumps amplifies any problems in a horse’s shoeing. If a horse gets sore feet or legs from bad angles or bad shoeing, the horse can not just take his shoes off, sit back on a couch, and rub their feet, or find another pair of shoes like you can. Bad shoeing can result in your horse becoming lame due to a number of problems including: bowed tendons, popped splints, or shoulder/back soreness or spasms. Bad shoeing can ruin a good horse, so don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish where shoeing is concerned. A laid-up horse is far more expensive to maintain than a good farrier. And remember not all horses need to have shoes, only if they are competing, walking on hard/rocky surfaces, or have hoof problems.

Sleeping:Horses do lay down to sleep, but only if they feel completely comfortable in their environment. It is not enough to provide a dry stable, food and water. Horses will often sleep standing up by locking their knees. Horses are one of the few animals that can put one half of their body asleep while the other half is wide awake. Emotionally and mentally, all horses need to feel they have and be comfortable in their own space!

To fully enjoy a horse’s finer qualities you must treat them with both kindness and quality care. In the end, a happy horse will mean a nicer ride and a happier rider.

About the Author

Rob Daniels has been an equestrian rider for 25 years. He has studied various disciplines additional articles are available at: Riding Stable – http://www.riding-stable.com and Horse Stall http://www.horse-stall.net

Read more: Basic Horse Care

Breeding Livebearers

Items Needed:
Breeder Box or Breeder Net
Breeding Grass
5 or 10 gallon tank for the baby fish or a tank divider that you can use for your main tank.
A pair – 1 female and 1 male

Two of the more popular tropical fish for beginners has to be Guppies and Swordtails. Guppies and Swordtails are livebearers which means that their babies come out swimming. Like most livebearers, there is not much to getting your guppies or swordtail to breed. If you have a male and a female then you will eventually have a pregnant female. The gestation period for livebearers is usually 28 days but can range from 20 to 40 days.

Place the male and female in the same tank together and they will soon mate. You are probably asking, how can I tell when the female is pregnant? When a female guppy is pregnant she will develop a dark triangular shaped gravid spot near her anal vent. This will get larger and darker as the pregnancy progresses. While you are waiting on the female to develop the fry it’s time to make sure you are prepared for the delivery. We use plastic breeder boxes and always have without any problems. A breeder box is a small box plastic box about 4 inches long by 3 inches wide and 4 inches deep. There is a removable “V” shaped trap in it which serves to separate the mother from the babies. When the mother fish has babies they fall through the slot in the “V” into the bottom of the box. After the mother is finished having babies, you can remove the “V” trap so that the babies have more room to grow. Some people have had bad experiences with breeder boxes and now only use a breeding net. It is also a good idea to purchase some real or plastic breeding grass for the top of the aquarium. The breeding grass is just in case the mother gives birth before you have a chance to put her in the breeder box. The young babies instinctively will swim to the top of the aquarium and the breeder grass provides a great hiding place so they won’t get eaten by the bigger fish in your tank.

To feed your new arrivals you can use finely crushed flake food. Using your fingers, you can rub the flakes into a fine powder. Some only feed live foods such as baby brine shrimp. Live foods would definitely be the best way to go, but for most this is simply not feasible. Crushed or powdered flake food will suffice. Try to feed the babies 3 very small meals per day. You will invariably feed too much and the excess food will drop to the bottom of the tank or breeder box. To clean a breeder box we like to take a 3 ft. length of aquarium tubing and a small bucket. Use the tubing as a siphon to clean the bottom of the breeder box. Be careful not to siphon any baby fish.

Try to perform 25% water changes weekly for your baby guppies. This will aid in the optimal growth of your baby tropical fish. After a few weeks in the breeder box your new babies will soon outgrow their home and you will need to move them either to a new tank or your main tank with a divider installed. By 8 weeks old your baby fish will most likely be able to return to the main tank without a divider. However, it really depends on the size of the other inhabitants in your aquarium. Use your best judgement before releasing them into the main tank.

Whether you are going for that one of kind strain or if you simply find small fry swimming in the top of your tank one day after work, please be responsible with your fish. If you have more than you can accomodate you can try trading them or maybe even selling them to a local fish store in your area. Talk to your local pet stores beforehand to see if you can work out some sort of arrangement. You can also use this opportunity to get your friends interested in fish.

Please visit http://www.FishLore.com for more information on tropical fish.

About the Author

Author Bio
Mike is an editor at FishLore.com. Designed for beginners, http://www.FishLore.com provides tropical fish information, how-to guides, articles, fish profiles, FAQs, forums and more! FishLore.com – Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Read more: Breeding Livebearers

Fun Dog Activities

Fun Dog Activities
All dog breeds were developed for a purpose. Some breeds were developed to herd sheep, some to hunt game, and some to pull sleds. Dogs, like humans, enjoy having a purpose in life. Dogs like to lead a structured life and be able to associate with their owners in activities and be given the opportunity to please their owner. The following is a short list of fun activities that you may want to consider for your dog.

Dog Agility is a sport in which a handler must control and direct his dog around an obstacle course within a set period of time. Dogs must be controlled off-leash using only voice and body language commands. The handler runs beside the dog and directs the dog through the obstacle course with precision and speed – trying to accumulate the minimum number of faults (both missed obstacles and time faults). Obstacles include: A-frames, elevated dog walks, teeter-totters, tunnels, jumps (such as hurdles and tires), weave poles (like a slalom), pause tables (where the dog must lie down for a fixed time), and other obstacles. In order to be fair, there are usually classes of competition to group dogs of similar size and experience. Therefore there will be several winners at a competition. Dogs and handlers need to be very well trained and seem to enjoy this sport immensely. There are a number of organizations involved in agility performance around the world who sanction clubs to allow them to host agility competitions. In the US, some of these organizations include: the American Kennel Club (AKC), the United Kennel Club (UKC), the United States Dog Agility Association, and the North American Dog Agility Council. Elsewhere in the world: the Kennel Club (in the UK), the Agility Association of Canada and the FCI (World Canine Organization) are all involved.

Obedience is a skill that ranges from mastering everyday commands that all dogs should know to competitive exercises that require significant training and aptitude to excel. You may start out teaching your puppy and young dog the basic obedience commands and find that you and your dog have an aptitude for obedience skills that you would like to take to a higher level. In competitive obedience the dog and handler team must perform prescribed activities off leash and in a carefully defined way. If the dog has the aptitude and training it will gain skills to allow it to advance through the ranks from Novice to Open (intermediate) to Utility (advanced) competitions. At each level the requirements become more difficult and the number of exercises to be performed get longer. Exercises are all done off leash using voice and body language commands and include such activities as: having the dog stay while you walk away; follow the handler in the heel position through complex patterns; come on command; sit and lie down for fixed periods of time while the handler is out of the dog’s sight; retrieve items over a high jump; and find a scented object amongst a group of identical non-scented objects. Dogs can earn obedience titles in obedience championships. Purebred dogs can compete in obedience trials sanctioned by the AKC, while the UKC recognizes other purebred dog competitions. As well, there are mixed breed competitions sanctioned by the Mixed Breed Dog Club of America and other organizations. In Canada, the Canadian Kennel Club sanctions obedience trials and awards titles.

Lure coursing is a sport for sighthounds that involves chasing a manually or mechanically operated artificial lure across a field in a “coursing” pattern. The competition is usually restricted to pure-bred sighthounds including: Afghan Hounds, Basenjis, Borzois, Greyhounds, Ibizan Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Salukis, Scottish Deerhounds, and Whippets. The operator keeps the lure or “prey” just in front of the chasing sighthounds until they have completed the course. The course must have a minimum number of turns and is usually 600 to 1000 yards long. The hounds love to play this sport and puppies can be introduced to the sport through lure coursing practice sessions. Competitions usually consist of two runs for each dog breed for dogs that have been pre-certified or qualified. In the US, the American Sighthound Field Association or the AKC can “certify” that dogs have been trained and are eligible to enter their sanctioned competitions. In Canada, the Canadian Kennel Club sanctions lure coursing but excludes the Italian Greyhound because they consider it a toy dog.

Tracking can be learned by all dog breeds because all dogs use their noses to identify things and explore the world. Training can be started as early as 10 to 12 weeks of age as all puppies love to use their noses to sniff out a trail. As with all training, positive rewards (treats, praise etc,) and re-enforcement work best. The AKC sanctions tracking tests and events in the US. This vigorous non-competitive outdoor sport allows dogs to demonstrate their ability to recognize and follow human scents. In Canada, the CKC sponsors tracking events and you can check their website for a list of nearby events.

Field Trials are regularly held for Basset Hounds, Beagles and Dachshunds to demonstrate their ability to find and track game. Similarily Field Trials and Hunting Trials are held almost every weekend across the country for: the Pointing Breeds, the Retrievers, and Spaniels to allow them to compete and demonstrate their hunting abilities under a strict set of conditions. If you are an owner of a hunting dog puppy, you will want to look into many of the organized activities designed for your dog. Check out the AKC or CKC websites for a list of contacts and field trials in your area.

Other Fun Activites that you might wish to explore include flyball, frisbee, herding and drafting competitions.

About the Author

Mike Mathews is a contributing writer and editor for the popular dog breed site: Dog-Breed-Facts.com. He provides informative, real-world advice and tips on dog breeds, dog health, dog grooming and more. As well be sure to check out his free report on Dog Training.

Read more: Fun Dog Activities

Getting a Dog

Dogs are arguably one of the best companions that a human can find, so it goes without saying that getting one has probably crossed your mind at least once before. If you have gone beyond just thinking about it and have begun to seriously consider the option of getting a dog, then it is important to know what you will be getting into. It is very easy to see the appeal of owning a dog, but there are many responsibilities and commitments that are involved.

For one thing, owning a dog is a usually a 10-15 year commitment, since that is how long a typical dog will live. This means that your dog will be with you through whatever life stages you live through, including dating, marrying, and having children.

Along with this, having an adorable, friendly canine companion around you for so many years will inevitably lead to some attachment. No one likes to think about death, but sooner or later the reality of mortality will come into full view, and you should be prepared to deal with the loss. If you are married with children at the time of your loss, the pain will affect more people than just yourself.

Dogs, just like children, require a lot of your time and attention. Though they don’t need constant attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week, they do require you to spend at least a few hours a day to play around and exercise outside. Dogs that do not receive enough attention or care may develop behavioral issues.

Dogs will also be very affectionate and will want to be around you for much of the time you are at home. They will even sleep near you when they take naps and may even want to sleep in the same bed as you. Be prepared to take a firm stance on this if you do not want your dog to sleep in the same bed as you do.

On the other side of the coin, not all the time you spend with your dog will be fun. They require you to feed them, give them water, clean them, and pick up after them. Periodic visits to the vet are also something you should be prepared for. Whether it’s for a yearly checkup, an examination regarding an illness, or emergency visits, visits to the veterinarian will cost you some money.

After talking about all of the responsibility of owning a dog, it should also be noted that there is a great deal of comfort, joy, and fun that come with having a dog. They are not nicknamed “man’s best friend” for no reason. After experiencing the joys of having a dog, all of the responsibilities and commitments listed above pale in comparison and won’t even be burdensome when you realize who you are taking care of.

About the Author

Dogs

Read more: Getting a Dog

How Important is It to Avoid Silicones When You Have Long Hair?

Many people who read about caring for long hair are warned not to use conditioners with silicone products in them. These are products such as Dimethicone and Cyclomethicone, which are found in many conditioners.

On the other hand, many people with long hair have used such products for years with few problems. So who’s right?

These silicone based products can be harder to rinse out for many people which is why some do not trust them. Long hair can be quite sensitive to product buildup, which can result in damage and unmanageable hair.

With these problems you may be wondering why silicone products are used in conditioners anyhow. The reasons are pretty simple, actually. Depending on which one you’re talking about, they can smooth hair and keep it from absorbing too much humidity while keeping the hair’s own moisture in it. That’s pretty useful for most people, but can be a problem for those with long hair as the product builds up.

The tendency to keep humidity out of the hair may actually be a part of the problem. Over time, the hair does lose it’s natural moisture, and if that happens faster than the hair absorbs humidity, you get dry, difficult hair. It won’t look good, it will break more easily and it will require extra care and perhaps some extra split ends cut off.

That said, whether or not you have a problem with a particular variety of silicone depends on your hair. Some people say they have problems anytime they use a conditioner with it. Others can go months without trouble, then clear it up with a clarifying shampoo and be ready to go back to that conditioner.

If you want to avoid silicones, try an oil conditioner instead. Some love coconut oil. I like jojoba oil. Some people even just use olive or vegetable oils from their kitchen, although these can be very heavy in the hair.

If you aren’t noticing a problem with what you’re currently using in your hair, you may not have to worry overmuch. However, it may also not hurt to give something new a try. You may be surprised by the changes in your hair when you decide to use a more hair friendly product.

Long hair can be challenging to grow. The longer it gets, the pickier it becomes about the care you give to it. Experiment to figure out what is right for you and enjoy the results you get.

Read more: How Important is It to Avoid Silicones When You Have Long Hair?

How To Set Up A Quarantine Tank

Do I Need A Quarantine Tank?

Ah, yes, the often dismissed but very necessary part of the tropical fish hobby, the infamous quarantine tank. Do you really need one to be successful in this hobby?

For freshwater fish you may be able to get by without having one. Freshwater fish are generally more suited to captivity because they are usually tank raised and don’t seem to break out in disease as readily as their saltwater counterparts. However, if newly acquired fish do come down with something, you will surely wish that you had one ready to go. One newly bought fish that is introduced to your main tank can easily wipe out the entire tank population. Better safe than sorry, right?

For saltwater aquarium keepers, I would say that you definitely need a quarantine tank. Marine specimens are mostly wild caught and not used to being kept in captivity. Their journey to a dealers tank is usually much longer and much more stressful for them. Stressed out fish will usually come down with some kind of disease if they don’t simply die from the whole ordeal. Saltwater fish keepers will usually have other things in the main display tank such as invertebrates and live rock, that they don’t want to expose to the harsh medicines necessary to treat one or two fish. Some medicines can wipe out all of the invertebrates in a tank, so be sure to research any medicine before using it in your tank.

Quarantine Tank Setup

You don’t need to go all out here. A simple 10 – 20 gallon aquarium will suffice for most people. If you have larger fish then obviously you want to get a bigger quarantine tank. All you really need is a bare bones setup with the following equipment:

Some type of filtration (a hang on the back of the tank power filter will work, just use filter floss without the carbon since carbon will remove medication from the water, being counter productive)
Heater
A powerhead and/or an airstone for increased surface agitation
Test Kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate
Fish Net – don’t use the same net for your main tank

Fill the quarantine tank with water from the main tank and then turn everything on in the quarantine tank.

Freshwater and Saltwater Fish Quarantine

For newly acquired fish you will want to acclimate them to the water in the quarantine tank and monitor them very closely for a period of two to three weeks. Monitor the water parameters with your test kits and check for signs of parasites or bacterial infections.

If the newly acquired fish does come down with something you will need to use the appropriate medication and you will need to keep them in quarantine for a further two weeks to make sure that you have indeed treated them effectively. If after a few weeks no problems develop, you can then acclimate them to the main tank water and then introduce them.

If a fish comes down with something while in your main tank, just net them and plop them into the quarantine tank. There should be no need to acclimate them because you used water from your main tank. If you didn’t use water from the main tank you will need to acclimate them to the quarantine tank water. Diagnose the problem/disease and treat appropriately. After the disease clears up you will still want to keep the fish in quarantine for a week or so monitoring the water parameters with your test kits the whole time.

Conclusion
Freshwater hobbyists may get away with not using a quarantine tank, but saltwater hobbyists would be crazy not using one. Save yourself some money, headaches and especially the fish by having a quarantine tank. The fish in your main tank will thank you for it.

Please visit http://www.FishLore.com for more information on tropical fish.

About the Author

Mike is an editor at FishLore.com. Designed for beginners, http://www.FishLore.com provides tropical fish information, how-to guides, articles, fish profiles, FAQs, forums and more! FishLore.com – Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Read more: How To Set Up A Quarantine Tank

Dealing With Cat Allergies

Cats are one of the most loved pets in the world, no question about it. More than 50% of all households in the United States own dogs and cats. Although cats are loved animals, cat allergies are one of the common forms of allergies. Statistics in the past have shown that over 10 million people in the U.S. alone have allergic reactions to cats – especially their fur.

The biggest cause of cat allergies is dander. The dander, is dust that is produced by the body of the cat. Dander is basically shed skin that comes off of cats, normally in the form of small flakes. Although dander can irritate your skin, it can also get into your immune system as well, resulting in a variety of symptoms and almost immediate allergic reactions.

The dander, once in the immune system, is perceived to be a threat. Even though it isn’t classified as a disease, it’s more of a reflex by your body and your immune system. Cat allergies occur quite often due to cats having allergens that are spread throughout their blood, urine, and saliva. Although a cat may not be present at the time, the excretions probably still are.

Cat dander, urine, and saliva, are found throughout the home of cat owners. Cats constantly groom themselves, which involves rubbing their saliva into their fur. When they do this, they spread their dander and allergens around. Although you may try, there is really nothing that you can do about it. Cats have a natural instinct to groom or bathe themselves, no matter how many baths you give them, you simply won’t stop them from grooming.

Normally, when someone is taking an allergic reaction to cats, he or she will wheeze, cough, sneeze, itch, have watery eyes, or a difficult time in breathing. Different people react different ways to cat allergens, meaning that some symptoms may not occur at all. Fever and chills is very rare, although it can happen. If someone who has cat allergies comes down with fever and chills, you should contact a doctor immediately. Chances are, it isn’t an allergic reaction to cats, but instead another type of disease that a doctor will need to identify.

Cat allergies are normally treated with antihistamines and decongestants. Those that experience asthma attacks or other forms of allergies, normally take antihistamines. Decongestants on the other hand, are normally used to cure coughs and swollen nasal passages. Sometimes, doctors will recommend allergy shots as well. Allergy shots can help to prevent the attack, especially if someone is really allergic to cats. They are a good form of treatment and prevention, and they can also help to decrease the risk of allergies affecting the individual.

If you suspect that you have cat allergies, you should always make it a point to visit your doctor. He will be able to further diagnose your situation, and give you the best options available for treatment. If you do indeed suffer from cat allergies, the best way to stop the attacks is to get rid of your cat.

Getting rid of a cat can be a very tough thing to do. If you have become allergic to your cat’s fur, there may be no other way to prevent attacks than to get rid of him. Although doctors can give you medicine and shots, it will only do so much. Cat allergens are no fun, especially if you develop them years after owning your cat. Cats are great animals to own – although cat allergies are something we could all live without.

Read more: Dealing With Cat Allergies

Curing Bad Cat Breath

Cat owners know for a fact that bad cat breath can be downright awful. It isn’t that much different from bad human breath, as both are caused by bacteria found in the mouth that breaks protein down and releases the sulfur compounds out into the air. Sulfur smells really bad on its own, which is why breath containing it smells bad as well. The bacterium that causes bad breath with cats is normally associated with a buildup of tartar around the teeth. Tartar is yellow in color, known as a coating of bacteria, food, and minerals.

To cure your cat from bad breath, you’ll need to remove the buildup of tartar. There are several cat foods out there that are designed to reduce the buildup of tartar, many containing enzymes that will literally dissolve it. You can also give your cat treats as well, as many of them will help eliminate and prevent tartar. If the buildup of tartar is bad, you may need to have your cat’s teeth professionally cleaned. Once the tartar has been removed, the bad breath will go away.

You may be able to clean the tartar off your cat’s teeth at home. There are several toothpastes available for pets, available in several different flavors. You’ll need to get a mechanical toothbrush, as the motion is very important for removing tartar buildup. Toothpastes that contain enzymes will dissolve tartar, helping to cure bad breath. If you start early with brushing your cat’s teeth, you can virtually eliminate any type of tartar buildup that will ultimately lead to bad breath.

Some bacteria that lead to tartar can be found in your cat’s diet. When you feed him, you should always make sure that the food he consumes doesn’t contain a lot of bacteria. If you shop healthy and feed him only healthy foods, it can help his bad breath a great deal. When you give your pet a treat, make sure that the treat is designed to help with tartar. After your cat has finished eating, you can brush his teeth or rinse his mouth out. This way, you’ll get the bacteria out of his mouth before it has time to build up on his teeth.

Sometimes, cats may have a bad odor in their mouth that doesn’t come from tartar or bad breath in general. In these rare cases, it can be either liver or kidney disease. If you notice bad breath and it isn’t tartar, you should take your cat to the vet. Even though it may be something to do with tartar, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Your veterinarian can pinpoint the problem, let you know what the cause is – and how you should go about fixing it.

Read more: Curing Bad Cat Breath

Things To Know Before Breeding Your Cat

The population of cats is the United States alone is unbelievable. Nearly all experts will tell you that you should spay your cat instead of breed it. No matter what experts have to say, a lot of people want to have a litter of kittens from their cat. Before you decide to breed your cat, there are a few things that you should think about.

The first thing you should know is that breeding cats takes time. For the next two months after the litter is born, you’ll need to clean the area on a daily basis. You’ll also need to watch over the kittens as well, and keep a close eye on how they are developing. If you plan to breed a litter of cats, you won’t have time for much of anything else.

Breeding cats will also require a good degree of space as well. If you have a small apartment, you shouldn’t attempt to breed a cat. You should also make sure that your family agrees with the idea, as it isn’t good for the kittens if you keep them locked up. Keep in mind that kittens like to see things; they’ll end up going all over your home as well.

Breeding cats also requires a degree of responsibility as well. You should always have a plan of approach, including homes for the kittens to go that you aren’t planning to keep. Keep in mind that things can change, someone who wanted a cat may change his mind once the litter is born. In this event, you must decide whether or not you can keep a kitten that doesn’t have a home.

Breeding also requires some education as well. You should be prepared for any problems along the way, as well as what takes place during birth. From cutting umbilical cords to delivering early, you’ll need to be well prepared. You should also have the proper supplies, and know how to handle things in the event of a c-section. You’ll also need to know what to feed pregnant cats, as their diets are very important if you are breeding.

Breeding will also cost money as well, with kittens costing a lot more money than you may think. The food isn’t the only thing that’s expensive, as the vet bills can also get expensive. Even though you may go through the entire pregnancy without going to the vet, you’ll still need de-worming and vaccination medicines as well.

In short, there is a lot to think about where breeding is concerned. If you have your mind set on it and you want to breed, you should be sure that you have the proper knowledge and everything you need before hand. You should always be ready to handle anything associated with breeding – and prepare yourself for the worst possible scenario.

Read more: Things To Know Before Breeding Your Cat

Dating After A Nasty Break-Up

Dating is not like riding a bicycle. You can’t simply start dating again after years of inactivity and instantly get the hang of it after only few tries.

Oftentimes, a guy who has just experienced divorce or the break-up of a serious relationship will go through a dearth of dates for months or even years.

That’s normal, according to psychologists. It simply means that the man is still genuinely mourning his lost love instead of trying to numb the pain by dating a series of sometimes inappropriate partners.

But what if you truly want to move forward yet still have great difficulty getting dates? How do you get out of that lonely rut?

The first step is to determine why you’re not getting even a nibble of romance. Once you’ve done that, then you can figure out what to do to climb out of your dateless hole.

After a break-up, there are usually two main reasons why men experience a dating drought. First, they may not yet be ready to date again. And second, their dating style and strategies may be wrong.

You may be lonely, fed up with being dateless and eager to start dating again, but it does not necessarily mean you are ready to do so. Just because your ex-spouse has signed the final divorce papers, it does not mean you are prepared to meet new people.

Anger, bitterness and the pain of betrayal can sometimes linger after a bad break-up. These are feeling you have to first come to terms with. If left unresolved, they will rear their ugly head even during the most casual dating scenarios and severely affect your chances of moving on.

You might be thinking, that couldn’t possibly happen to me. Try asking yourself a few things. Do you project negative or defensive vibes to the opposite sex? Do you find yourself talking about your ex-partner or ex-wife too much? Do you try too hard to be liked (a subconscious attempt to get over rejection)? Do you feel shy and uncomfortable talking to women you find attractive?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘yes’, then take a good hard look at your situation. Perhaps you need more time to heal or regroup. Perhaps you need to re-assess what you really want. Remember that what you wanted in your twenties may not be the same as what you want now that you are in your thirties or forties.

Now, if you’ve finished healing and reassessment but still can’t get a date, maybe your problem is logistical rather than emotional. It may be time to update your dating strategies. For instance, when trying to meet people, do you still head to the same places you used to visit when you were single? Do you try to find romance in clubs and bars? Do you only go out when you’re with your posse of single friends?

Try a different approach like online dating or dating events and mixers. Immerse yourself in new activities and make them a regular part of the schedule. Try looking in non-intimidating venues such as bookstores instead of bars.

When you do date someone, look for a woman who shares your interests and not only as a romantic pursuit. Find common ground first and perhaps romance will follow. And most of all, be patient. Don’t expect sparks to fly right away.

At the end of the day, remember that it will take time to heal your wounds, but trust in the process – it IS supposed to hurt (otherwise you would be a cold hearted robot and very few women love guys like that) and it WILL get better.

Just give it time, be mindful of your self-talk, and get back out there and just LIVE life again, and when the time is right, you will meet someone special again and connect with her.

Just have faith…

Read more: Dating After A Nasty Break-Up

How To Setup A Freshwater Aquarium

This is an 11 step guide to setting up a freshwater aquarium in your home.

Equipment you will need:

Aquarium
Aquarium gravel
Aquarium filter
Replacement filter media
Heater
Other decorations (such as plants)
Chemical test kits
Fish food
Aquarium vacuum
Fish net
Glass Scrubber
5-gallon bucket
Pasta strainer

1: Realize the responsibility involved.
A tropical fish tank is just like having a dog or a cat when it comes to the amount of effort on your part. In order to have a successful fish tank you will have to work at it. Once a week, or at most once every two weeks, you will need to perform some kind of maintenance on the tank. Most of the time you will be performing water changes. You will also have to feed your tropical fish at least once a day. If you are up to the challenge, please proceed!

2: Decide on an aquarium size.
It’s a good idea to have in mind what kind of tropical fish you want to keep before you purchase an aquarium. Some tropical fish only grow to be an inch or two, whereas other types of tropical fish can grow 12 or 13 inches in length! Knowing what kind of tropical fish you want will help you decide the size of the tank they will need. If this is your first time with an aquarium, I would recommend going with a 10 or 20 gallon aquarium for now.

3: Decide on the aquarium’s location.
Place your aquarium in an area where the light and temperature of the tank won’t be affected by external sources such as windows and heater vents. You will want to place your aquarium on a stand that will be able to hold its total weight. A good rule of thumb for determining the total weight of a full aquarium is 10 pounds per gallon of water. For example, a 55-gallon tank will weigh approximately 550 pounds when filled with water!

4: Buy your aquarium and equipment.
Now is the time to decide on the type of filtration you will want to use. You will also need to purchase a heater capable of heating the tank size you have. Buy the gravel, plants, a power strip and other decorations. A good rule of thumb for the amount of gravel that you will need is 1 to 1.5 pounds of gravel per gallon of water.

5: Set up your aquarium and stand.
Wash out your tank with water only! Do not use soap or detergents. Soap residue left behind will be harmful for your tropical fish. If you are going to use an under gravel filter (not recommended) now would be the time to set it up as well.

6: Wash Gravel, plants and decorations.
Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before adding it to your tank. An easy way to do this is to put some of the rocks in a pasta strainer and wash them out in your bathtub. Then place the clean gravel in a clean 5-gallon bucket for transport to the aquarium. After adding the gravel you can place your plants and decorations.

7: Add water to the aquarium.
To avoid messing up your gravel and plants, you can place a plate or saucer in the middle of your aquarium and direct the water flow onto the plate. Use room temperature water when filling. To remove the chlorine and chloramine, use something like Tetra AquaSafe for Aquariums. Don’t completely fill up the aquarium until you are sure of the layout of your decorations. Otherwise, when you place your arm in to move stuff around water is going to spill over. Doh!

8: Set up equipment.
Install your heater but don’t plug it in until the thermostat in the heater has adjusted to the water temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes or so. Hook up your filter and any other equipment you have, then top off the aquarium water to just under the hood lip. Place your hood and light on the aquarium and then check your power cords to be sure that they are free of water. I would also recommend using a drip loop on all of the power cords to be extra cautious. Plug all of the equipment into a power strip and then “turn on” the aquarium.

9. Wait, wait, wait and then wait some more.
I know, you want to add some tropical fish. But, in order to do this right you must wait until your aquarium has cycled before adding any fish. There are ways of speeding up this process. Check out the nitrogen cycle page to learn more. If you must use fish to cycle, try to get a hardier species like the zebra danio or cherry barb.

10. Add tropical fish.
Only add one or two fish at a time. Adding a couple tropical fish at a time gives your filtration system the time needed to take on the increased biological load that the new fish introduce. When you bring the fish home let the bag float in the tank for about 15 minutes so that the fish can become acclimated to the temperature and pH of the aquarium water. After 5 minutes of floating the bag you should add some of the aquarium water to the bag so that the fish can become acclimated to the pH level in the aquarium. This will help reduce the amount of stress imposed on the tropical fish. Stressed tropical fish often leads to dead tropical fish! Don’t feed your tropical fish on the first day. They probably wouldn’t eat any food on the first day anyway. Let them get acquainted with their new home.

11. Get ready for regular maintenance.
Be prepared to spend some time once every week or two to clean your tank. Performing regular water changes will reduce the nitrate levels and keep your tropical fish happy and healthy.

Please visit http://www.FishLore.com for more information on tropical fish.

About the Author

Mike is an editor at FishLore.com. Designed for beginners, http://www.FishLore.com provides tropical fish information, how-to guides, articles, fish profiles, FAQs, forums and more! FishLore.com – Tropical Fish & Aquarium Information.

Read more: How To Setup A Freshwater Aquarium

Locating Experienced Dog Breeders

It’s usually not a smart idea to buy the first dog you see from the first breeder you visit. The expertise of dog breeders is about as varied as the breeds of dogs themselves. By following a basic plan you will be able to find a healthy, happy dog.

Before you can determine whether or not a particular dog will be of value to you there are two basic items that must be addressed. One, you must know the breed of dog you want. Are you after a German Shepherd, Bernese Mountain dog, Newfoundland, Yorkshire Terrier or other type? If it’s a German Shepherd that you want you should be looking for german shepherd dog breeders. And two, you must be aware of some specific information about that breed. The information you need to be versed on includes the correct size for your dog breed, how often it needs to be brushed, how much activity or exercise it needs daily, if there are genetic diseases that are common with this type, have there been tests performed that have ruled these diseases out in this pup, and what else is required in maintaining it’s health such as clipping its nails.

There is a lot of additional information that is important for you to know as well. Some dog breeders don’t actually do the breeding themselves, but buy their animals from other areas. You should stick with a breeder that breeds and raises the pups on site. The reason for this is because you can better determine if this puppy was raised in a clean environment. Without examining its place of birth you have no idea what sort of environment it was raised in. Puppies can end up with mental or physical deficiencies if brought up in a cruel or unkempt environment.

Another item for concern is the age of the puppies that you are interested in. The puppies should be at least seven weeks old before they are placed. Their parents should be at least two years old before breeding and should have been tested for any possible genetic diseases.

When purchasing puppies it’s important that the pups have had some interaction with other animals and children. This is to help ensure that the dogs will be friendly and sociable. It’s also a good idea to get your puppy from a dog breeder that will allow you to call him later with any questions or concerns you may have about your animal.
There is a lot to know about breeding dogs and it’s very hard to find competent experienced dog breeders who raise more than 4 or 5 different breeds. If he raises 6 or 8 or more it’s probably a good idea to look else ware for you puppy. Also, most experienced breeders belong to one or more breed clubs so ask them if that’s true with them.

As you are concerned about the specific breeder he should also show some concern with you as well. If he asks you questions about they type of environment that you will raising the pup, your family, and your experience with animals it’s usually a good sign that the animal has been raised with love. The breeder should have concern for the placement of his puppies.

Once you have made a decision to buy a specific dog there are few other items that should be addressed. A suggested diet should be provided for your animal. You should receive a registration certificate with your purchase. You should also require the seller to give you a 3-generation pedigree chart for the dog, a health record of the animal that includes dates the puppy was inoculated or received other veterinary care. Another important item is a health guarantee and you should require one. If it’s later discovered that the dog suffers from a genetic disease, for example, you should have some recourse. Along these same lines you should have in writing that you are allowed, within a reasonable amount of time, to have the puppy examined by a veterinarian at your own expense. And if it is found that the dog you have purchased has any defects, as determined by the veterinarian, you can return it for a full refund.

Finding the perfect dog can be a long and tedious process, but with a little preparation, education and effort it’s possible to obtain a quality animal that you will be proud to own.

About the Author

This article is presented to you by Best Dog Breeders, an online source about dog breeders. For more information about dog breeding visit Best Dog Breeders.

Read more: Locating Experienced Dog Breeders

Teleclasses: A New Century — A Unique Way of Learning