Animal Fest | The place for animal lovers to talk pets, animal activism, and all things furry

Pet food found to be contaminated again

This time with salmonella and so far only in dog food

Why is it so hard to make pet food? Isn’t it just a matter of using quality ingredients and following safety guidelines? If pet food manufacturing companies are unable to promise that our pets will survive their food then maybe we need to think outside of the box.

I lost a cat to the Melamine contamination that had caused a sizable FDA recall and led to deaths of countless pets across the nation. Following the death of my cat, Ziek, I had been given a cat and later when I was actually ready, I chose a new pet. Needless to say I now have two cats. It probably took me about a year to feel confident in feeding them. Recently, one of my cats started sniffing his wet food and just walking away. This of course raised red flags inside of me.

After coming across reports about the Salmonella dog food contamination I have been sent back to my earlier days of having a lack of confidence in pet food manufacturers. As a result, I have returned to making my own cat food. I thought I would share with any concerned pet owners where I go for my recipes.

Lisa Pierson has set up an entire instructional manual that discusses specific needs of cats, handling procedures and countless recipes. You can visit her website to learn all the basics of making cat food. I don’t have a dog, however after exploring a few options I have found that the Dogtime website is the most detailed and explanatory.

New gecko discovery in Papua New Guinea

Think bumblebee

I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love new animal discoveries and this little reptile is definitely worth more than just a little mention. He has been named Nactus kunan, which just happens to be the Nali translation to bumblebee. The remarkable colors along the back of this new lizard make black and yellow stripes, similar to the standard bumblebee.

The Nactus kunan is in gecko family, specifically the slender toed geckos. What makes the slender toed geckos different? The slender toed gecko doesn’t have the same toes as the geckos that are commonly found around the neighborhood and at times in the house. The most distinguishing point is that the slender toed geckos lack padded feet and therefore are unable to climb whereas the gecko that you have seen or at least are aware of is able to climb trees and even slick walls.

The Nactus kunan lives on the forest floor and blends in well enough to have remained undiscovered up until now. Its actual discovery was a surprise to many scientists across the globe. The Nactus kunan is still being documented and it’ll take some time to completely determine and understand this new gecko.

This new discovery of the Nactus kunan is proof that our world really is bigger than we could’ve ever imagined and that it still holds secrets that we have yet to unravel. We often forget that there is more than what we know or think we know. This little five-inch Nactus kunan has proven that there is a lot more waiting to be discovered.

Animals Inside Out Exhibit is certain to be a huge hit

From the makers of Body Worlds comes another body exploration exhibit

The Body Worlds exhibitions have brought in one crowd after another for many years seeking knowledge and visual stimulation. They arrive with curiosity and interest to view the human body in its most naked form. The question is will the new Animal Inside Out exhibit bring the same curiosity with the same numbers?

I can see a large percentage of people wanting to view the inner workings of common animals. I do however wonder if that type of exhibit would interest people who see all animals as being beneath them. It’ll be interesting to see what level of curiosity the Animals Inside Out Exhibit ignites. I will say that you can count me in; I will be there as soon as it makes it over toward my little part of the world.

I kind of doubt it will ever be here in my town, most likely I’ll need to drive down to the Twin Cities (Minneapolis/St. Paul). Certainly not a problem since it’s barely over two hours and there are so many places I’d absolutely love to be able to go to again. The dining alone would make the trip worth it so the added benefit of being able to spend some time at the Animals Inside Out Exhibit definitely makes it worth the trip.

The only downfall with the Animals Inside Out Exhibit that I can really see is that it’s slightly limited. That isn’t to say it’s not a large exhibit. There are plenty of animals that have been included from livestock to gorillas and even fish. With the large pool of animals available though, I can’t help but to wish that there were a few more.

Preventing Chewed up Cords

A little patience and a little diversion is all you need.

Does your cat chew up computer cords? This was an all too common problem within my household, only it didn't stop with cord chewing. It went onto anything in any way similar to a cord.

I had returned home one day only to suddenly realize that my fish tank was no longer bubbling. Naturally I thought it may have been my pump. To my surprise, the airlines going into the fish tank had a whole bunch of little tiny teeth holes.

If this is a problem that you can relate to, then I have a few suggestions that may help. There's a great website that I have referred to a few times in the past to combat many common animal problems such as clawing, a problem many cat lovers have faced at some time or another. You can visit the Cat Channel for advice on behavioral problems, funny stories or cute video's. The Cat channel recommends trying to take away any toy that is similar to a cord, while also being careful to replace your cats point of entertainment with other toys.

This is similar to how I managed to eventually rid my cat from cord chewing. First off I threw away all of those cord like toys, you know the famous overpriced fishing pole toys and replaced them with mice, balls, crunchy toys basically anything other than string based toys. Following my toy removal I tied together any loose hanging cords with plastic ties. This didn't immediately stop my cats cord chewing, though it did slow it down and with time it did completely stop.

The Long Forgotten Tasmanian Wolf

Human interaction Led to the Demise of this Incredible Animal

The Tasmanian Wolf, often referred to as the Tasmanian Tiger was an incredible animal that died off at the hands of humans. Like many other animals that have become extinct through human hands, the Tasmanian Wolf carries a sad tale. This animal was unique with beautiful markings yet also massive.

The Tasmanian wolf lived in Australia and New Guinea and had lived in its land freely up until the early 1800’s when English settlers began to bring sheep into their lands. It was at this time that a bounty was placed on the Tasmanian Wolf and a decline in population had begun. As more and more Tasmanian Wolfs disappeared people slowly began to see the wonder of this amazing animal that has an elongated mouth like a canine, striping like a tiger and a pouch like a kangaroo. The Tasmanian Wolf had a short height yet long body. It could be as tall as 2 feet and could be over twice as long averaging between 4 and 5 feet.

The bounty was removed from the Tasmanian Wolf’s head yet it was too little too late, the damage was already done. As people began to realize that this animal was endangered and soon to become extinct zoos across the world sought out the Tasmanian Wolf. The final Tasmanian died in 1936 in the Hobart zoo.

To this day people occasionally claim to see the Tasmanian Wolf. Though a single picture has never been taken and therefore an actual sighting can’t be confirmed. The Tasmanian Wolf remains forever on the extinct animal list.

Put a Little Emotion into It

A lot of people get into raising animals for the money, which is why puppy mills abound and less than stellar animals are being sold with increasing frequency. Just like industrial food, where cows and chickens are treated like machines, the main concern tends to be about increasing the bottom line, forgetting that animals are living beings, capable of pain, fear and emotions.

Raising animals can be a great way to make a little extra income, and certainly you want to have the best animals in order to make a good income. When it comes time to decide which animals make the best breeding stock, however, it needn’t only be about conformation, health and other physical factors.

Just because your favorite puppy does not have absolutely perfect conformation or has a speck of color that disqualifies him from showing, doesn’t mean you cannot keep and use that animal in your breeding program.

If all of us who raise animals put a little emotion into our decisions, relying a little on that old human instinct to help us make decisions, we might end up with a better strain of animals than if we rely completely on following a specific set of rules to turn our animals into cookie cutter examples of the breed.

So next time common sense tells you to cull an animal from your breeding program, put a little emotion into your decision and let your instincts guide the way. Perfection rarely comes from the outside, but rather from the intangible benefits an animal has to offer us.

Do You Have a Breeding Plan?

If you raise animals, for hobby or for money, you could probably benefit from jotting down a few ideas of how you want your breeding operation to progress. You don’t want to just randomly pair animals and hope for the best outcome, when a simple plan can help you outline the traits you want to reproduce and the goals you would like to achieve.

For example, I raise dairy goats, and I like to do it in a nontraditional way, with less commercial feed and chemical inputs. Since typical dairy goats are bred to require more feed and produce more milk, I have to fine tune my operation to breed only goats who do better with my unique goals.

No matter what kind of animal you raise, take the time and think of your desired end result. Do you want to breed your favorite dog to get another just like her? Are you raising cows who need to perform well on scrubby pastures? Having breeding goals helps you identify the most important characteristics of your animals and find ways to enhance those traits.

A breeding plan will also allow you to set criteria on when to remove an animal from your breeding program. With my goats, if an animal appears to not be as thrifty as the rest, I will not breed her, because I want to pass on strength and vitality, not poor immune systems and delicate digestive systems.

There are many extra animals in our world. It seems responsible to breed carefully and according to a measurable goal, instead of breeding just to get babies, unless of course your goal is meat, and then it isn’t such a critical matter.

Farm Animal Petition in progress to Prevent Antibiotic use

The ASPCA is asking for help to get petition signatures to stop antibiotic use in feeding

The ASPCA is attempting to receive 25,000 electronic signatures within the next 30 days to prevent antibiotic use on healthy farm animals. Antibiotics are being added into farm animal food for no other reason than to increase growth. This basically breaks down to providing animals medicine that they don’t need so that they can grow faster and larger which brings in quicker and more abundant meat products and therefore brings in a higher dollar amount.

This misuse of animal based antibiotics isn’t only threatening the health and welfare of farm animals, it is also a threat to humans, as many of these antibiotics are being transfer through food consumption. The problem with an overabundance of antibiotics is that the body can build up an antibiotic resistance over time and antibiotics will fail to work when they’re needed. The end result of antibiotics not working right in times of need can lead to severe health problems, just imagine be deathly ill and having completely useless medicine.

If you would like to sign this petition you can follow instructions at the ASPCA website, which also has further information on this growing problem. If you want to sign and bypass the ASPCA, then you can register at the White House and then sign the actual petition on the petition page. I’m not usually one to pass petitions along, however I felt this one was worth a mention for not only the sake of the animals, also the sake of our friends, our love ones, our children and our elderly.

Egg Factory Owner Walks Away

"...Leaving 50,000 Birds Locked Up and Starving "

Now here’s one for the outrage files: an egg factory owner walked away from his operation, citing feed costs, and left 50,000 chickens locked up with no food. Evidently, the owner had been trying to get out of the business because he could not afford to feed the chickens, but instead of seeking a humane solution, he left them without access to food for more than two weeks.

A tip led authorities to the egg factory (I shudder to even write the words “egg factory”), where one-third of the chickens were dead from starvation, and many more had to be put down. The survivors were taken to several animal rescue centers and are finally experiencing what life is like as a chicken, seeing the sun and walking, instead of being caged up for their entire lives.

I don’t even like to read stories like this. They are so heart-wrenching, but worst of all, seem to be without end. As long as we pay for eggs at the store, we encourage this type of abuse and torture, saying it’s okay to confine birds in small cages with no concern for their health or happiness, all for an over-easy on Sunday morning.

The only way stories like this will go away is if we begin supporting our local farmers again, spending our money where it matters – on quality food provided by happy, healthy animals. While it is ultimately on this owner to be responsible for the torture of those chickens, we have to shoulder some of the responsibility too, because we have paid to support this time of farming for years.

What do your Animal Pictures Say about You?

Are you funny, sweet and kind or a little wild?

What kind of animal person are you? You can tell by looking at what kind of animal pics you look for the most. Some people go for cute animal pics, others search for funny animal pictures. There are actually many types of animal pictures that people look for and the Pictures that people look for tell a lot about them as an individual.

Do you search for Wild Animals? You certainly are drawn in by their exotic patterns and the power of each regardless of their size. You know deep down that they belong in their natural habitat, free to roam. In life you seek out excitement and press against societal boundaries.

If you seek out cute animal pictures then it’s obvious that you have a soft side. There’s a part of you that melts every time you see a cute furry little animal. In life you tend to have a flair for seeing the good in people, even when no one else does.

Are you drawn to looking at pictures of zoo animals? Chances are that you like the exotic nature of animals yet there’s a part of you that likes the security of their confinement. In life you like a little bit of wild fun within a safe environment.

If you seek out funny animal pics then it’s clear that you have a light side. You are instantly filled with humor with every hilarious furry animal you come across. In life you tackle your situations with a smile and commonly seek out friends that can keep you laughing long into the night.

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