The Longevity of your Pet

The Longevity of your Pet Could be Affected by its Diet More than any Other Factor -What are we really feeding our pets? What pet manufacturers don't want us to know.

Kansas City, MO (PRWeb) February 23, 2007-- Don't be fooled by those slick ads on TV run by the major brands of your favorite dog and cat foods says entrepreneur/direct marketer John Karstetter. You've heard the expression, "You are what you eat?" It is especially true for pets. Like humans, pets may also be lacking in a daily nutritious, antioxidant and digestible diet.

Most pet foods sold today contain the 5 D's… dead, diseased, dying, disabled and drugged animals. Also included in the ingredients labeled as byproducts are animal intestines and brains, chicken heads, duck bills, fish heads, chicken and turkey feet, hides, feathers, hair, bones, dead animals that may have been treated with antibiotics or hormones, beef tallow or animal fat (lard), animal digest and "road kill".


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Comment:

Not really an aquarium or pond story, however I have been to many dog and cat food nutrition seminars when I was more involved in the Dog and Cat aspect of the Pet industry and I have to concur.

I also would like to note that this is also a common problem in most fish diets as many aquarist unknowingly throw trash foods such as TetraMin or BettaMin down their fish throats and then wonder why they have sick fish (such as the disease Dropsy) or their aquarium gets cloudy.


For more information about fish nurtrition, please visit this article:
Quality Fish Food; What ingredients are needed for proper fish nutrition, growth and health.

Central Point might give exotic pets the boot

Central Point might give exotic pets the boot -An ordinance banning nontraditional critters in the city is under discussion tonight at 7

By buffy pollock
for the Mail Tribune

CENTRAL POINT — Exotic pets ranging from wolves to raccoons to large snakes could be banned in town under a new ordinance before the City Council.

The council will consider the animal ordinance at 7 tonight in City Hall, 140 S. Third St., Central Point.

The proposed law would allow existing pets to be grandfathered in if they are registered with city code enforcement officials by March 12.

The current policy on keeping pets came under scrutiny after neighbors of Blue Grass Downs homeowner Nick Kessler complained about Kessler's pet bobcat, Kona. The Kessler family moved into the subdivision — across from a city park — last summer.

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Comment:

Not really an aquarium or pond story, but considering snakes are being considered, many fish can be thrown into this ban as well. Not that we don not need boundaries on which pets we can keep and not keep, it is possible as in some local and state governments to go too far, especially when bad information is used such as California’s statement that Piranha would populate the water ways (which is not true even for Piranha, as this fish will die off in water below 60-65 F, which there in not a body off water even in LA that does not get this cold in the winter.


BASIC AQUARIUM PRINCIPLES; Information for the proper set up, maintenance, care and feeding for freshwater aquariums

For a great Aquatics Forum where Everything Aquatic is discussed:
EVERYTHING AQUATIC; Aquarium Forum

'Marine Ecology for the Wet and Wild' offered at Oregon Coast Aquarium

'Marine Ecology for the Wet and Wild' offered at Oregon Coast Aquarium -The Oregon Coast Aquarium is offering a rare opportunity for intermediate SCUBA divers. "Marine Ecology for the Wet and Wild," is an extraordinary experience for divers who will go into the waters of the aquarium's "Passages of the Deep" exhibit, home to hundreds of marine animals. The class is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, and includes a review of the 13 major groups of invertebrates inhabiting Northwest waters.

Vallorie Hodges, dive safety officer at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, described what students in the class will experience, "We'll be right up close to many common - and some uncommon Pacific Northwest fishes and invertebrates. This is an ideal place for divers to learn about marine life because you would have to log many hours diving in the open water of the Oregon coast to find and identify the marine life you will see in one dive at the aquarium."

In this setting at the aquarium, divers learn in more focused manner. "You see the animals through the acrylic, learn about them in a classroom and then dive into Passages of the Deep at the Aquarium," Hodges says. "You really get to see them up close and walk away with a solid knowledge of what you see in Pacific Northwest waters."

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Comment:
This is a cool place to visit, anyone who loves fish keeping or the ocean should make this a must see if traveling the Oregon Coast!

AQUARIUM INFORMATION

For a great Aquatics Forum where Everything Aquatic is discussed:
MSN Groups- EVERYTHING AQUATIC

Correction to Grants Pass Courier article about poisonous pet fish.

The Grants Pass Courier ran a story about poisonous marine fish on December 16, 2006.

Unfortunately they did not do their home work (not that it would have been hard to get the correct answer, I personally have ran an ad with the front page for over a year without one response, the writers easily could have had the courtesy to ask an advertiser such as myself who has been in the aquarium trade profession since 1978 with one of the largest maintenance companies in LA).

Foxface and Lionfish produce different neurotoxins that attacks the nervous system, so does the Stone Fish, Puffer Fish, and the Blue Ring Octopus (as well as the Black Widow Spider).
Each of these fish/animals puts in different amounts or use different neurotoxins that are more or less deadly/toxic. This is important to note as a second or third sting/bite with neurotoxin can be life threatening (which a Blue Ring is very much so due to the highly toxic nature of the Tetrodotoxin used by these cephalopods and only one bite is needed to kill a human).

Foxface which use a more mild "Enterotoxin" which primarily breaks down proteins in the intestines are not generally a danger though to the hobbyist. The best treatment is a hot compress of 50 C with baking soda. At this temperature tests have shown the poison to be denatured.
Lionfish use a more dangerous Neurotoxin that while usually not fatal, is more dangerous than that of the Foxface, but not as dangerous as a Blue Ring Octopus or Puffer fish which utilize a Tetrodotoxin.
The Black Widow Spider uses a latrotoxin which is another form of neurotoxin.

The story implied a tissue toxin, which is very different with different treatment.
The Courier should realize there are some people who may know something and get their stories strait. Admittedly not all internet sources are correct here either, that is why the best sources are usually human medical articles as describing the wrong venom in a medical article could draw a lawsuit.

Here is one recent source:
INVASIVE LIONFISH

More REPUTABLE Aquarium Information and Product Resources


Aquarium Saltwater-Marine Basics For more information about poisonous marine animals.




Aquarium Information
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