Kitten at Work

I thing this string is not strong enough for tug of war competition!!
Photo by anzaq78

Misleading Pet Sales Tactic

I always advocate doing your homework before making any major purchase; and a pet is a major purchase. The beauty of the internet is that you can search for anything you need. Not all the info will be totally accurate, but if you read enough stuff, you'll find that many sites will basically tell you the same things...and the ones that don't are probably the ones that aren't accurate.

With this being said, I was somewhat surprised with a sign posted at a pet store I visited over the weekend. In their attempts to "upsell" everything, there was a sign that said "buy a tank today, take home a fish today." Basically saying that if you're buying the tank, you might as well buy the fish too.

Now, for those that are doing their research before purchasing, they would know that a new tank set-up takes time. You should never put a fish in a new tank until the water is in, the filter is running, and the decorations are settled. Plus, the water should circulate for at least a few days before adding any fish. This allows for the colonies of the so-called 'good' bacteria to grow. I won't go into the complexities of why this needs to occur (though it's covered in many of my other posts), but it does bother me that this sign was posted.

As consumers, we look to our local pet stores, especially the ones that aren't big chains, to provide us with knowledge about our potential purchases. We expect them to be honest and do what it best for the pets, before doing what is best for their bottom lines. There is an expectation of responsibility when you're buying live animals, and this sign was far beyond irresponsible.

Hopefully, no one fell for the trap and overspent on a fish that most likely died if they took it home the same day the tank was set up.

Kitten

Photo by nh4n_bych_vy

Cute White Cat

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

I know, it's not really a national holiday, but maybe it should be! It's the big game, with parties, celebrations, and of course, what we've all been waiting for...the new commercials.

Don't forget to keep your pets safe. The basic tips apply here too, such as making sure the pets aren't getting too scared or getting harassed by your guests. Don't feed them anything you wouldn't normally give them and make sure they aren't close to anything you don't want knocked over.

Enjoy the game. Here's hoping that some day, Congress will make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday.

Grooming Disaster - part 1

Our poor little shichon puppy had to get all of his fur cut off! Yes, it is middle of January, and despite my pleading and strictly against my suggestions, my wife took him to the groomers and had him completely shaved.

See for yourself:

Monkey before grooming (see the curly Bichon like coat which kept him warm)




Now after the grooming:



Granted he actually looks like he has legs, but he is COLD! Especially since it dropped to 10 degrees Fahrenheit in Chicago a week after all his fur was gone. Just see how comfortable hi is in this video of him (with his fur) frolicking around in the snow.

Now there were reasons for this. Apparently Shichons (and I suppose other small dogs like the Bichons and Shitzus) need special grooming brushes etc, and his fur was 'rasta' like matted. But more on this in Grooming lessons part 2.

Salmonella from pet turtles sickens 103 in '07

Ok, so I've wanted a turtle for some time now. But Mrs. Pet Haven always cautioned me that you could get diseases from turtles. I never really knew if she was making that up, but as it turns out, she's right. According to a recent report, contact with small pet turtles was to blame for 103 Salmonella infections that occurred in 33 states between May and December 2007, according to federal health officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.

Salmonella infections can be severe, leading to hospitalization and, in some cases, death, the CDC notes.

Turtles and other reptiles are well-known reservoirs for Salmonella and while the sale and distribution of small turtles — measuring less than 4 inches — was officially outlawed in the U.S. in 1975, cases of turtle-associated Salmonella infection continue to occur.

Roughly half of the Salmonella infections documented in the 2007 outbreak occurred in young children, who are at greater risk for severe illness from Salmonella infection.

The CDC's investigation into the outbreak also revealed that in a subset of 60 infected individuals interviewed, only one fifth were aware of the link between Salmonella infection and contact with reptiles.

According to the CDC, direct or indirect contact with reptiles causes an estimated 6 percent of all human Salmonella infections in the U.S. People who come in contact with reptiles, reptile habitats, or surfaces contaminated with reptile feces need to remember that they risk Salmonella infection, CDC officials caution.