Studying Animals

Amazing Treat Machine - Cardboard Toys For Pets

2010-10-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

If you love giving your pet new activities Amazing Treat Machine will make you jump up and down, just like I did when I discovered it.

Amazing Treat Machine has three different types of pet toys made of cardboard, the Treat Machine, the Roller and the Scratchers. They are cheap, fun and recyclable.

The scratcher toys are made of cardboard circles, and mainly made with cats in mind. There are two different types - the Hanging Scratcher and the Scratch Roller.

The Hanging Scratcher functions as a scratching tree, made out of cardboard circles that are hung up in a rope. The Scratch Roller, which looks like a little wheel, is literarily a stack of cardboard circles. The Hanging Scratcher is a pure cat toy, but the Scratch Roller will also activate small dogs and ferrets.

The Roller is a cylinder shaped cardboard container, with a little hole where treats can escape, as the roller is being pushed around. The idea is an old one, that has been used in several treat toys, but making the toy in cardboard is a new approach to it. This toy will enrichen the life of cats, dogs, ferrets and even rabbits!

The Treat Machine is the kind of toy where treats escape from the bottom of a container, when the dog drops a ball into it. This is also made of cardboard, and is perfect for dogs that eat too fast, bored dogs and dogs that love to use their brain!

All Amazing Treat Machine pet toys can be bought through the website.

Rehabilitation Day 5 & 6: Slow but Steady Progress

2010-02-10T12:42:00.000-08:00

It's been a just over a week since my Miniature Schnauzer was struck by FCE, and until now our rehabilitation results has been great. During the last week she went from not being able to stand to being able to jumping around on her own. Sometimes day to day progress might seem small, but the overall results are very good.

There has been small improvements in Colas strength and balance these last two days. She is getting better at standing and jumping around by herself.

When my husband got home this afternoon I urged her to jump out into the hall, and she greeted him with a wagging tail for the first time since she was struck by FCE! That was so great to see!

Our walks are getting easier and she has started to use her right front leg a little bit, moving it as if she was walking on it. She refuses to put any weight on it though, unless she is leaning forward.

Her right hind leg is getting better too, but she is still mostly using it in a "supporting" way. She seldom uses it independently of the left hind leg and when she uses it to jump or stand she does not have a good sense of her paw. She is dragging the top of her paw when she jumps around, and she stands with the top of her paw facing down.

Rehabilitation Day 4: Miniature Super-Schnauzer Jumping Around on Her Own

2010-02-08T15:20:00.000-08:00

Cola stood up by herself this morning, and jumped into the kitchen without any help!

Our walks today had much more speed than before, and my tiny super-Schnauzer almost forgets that she can not run of by herself. We've still got snow here and that caused a few problems the first few days after the FCE struck, but now it is actually a help as it is both supporting her legs and softening her falls.

I’m also thrilled to see that Cola is getting more and more interested in sniffing other dogs urine again, which is a great sign that she’s in good spirits!

After todays walks she jumped into the living room by herself. During the day she jumped a bit around the apartment as well.

All of Colas legs are getting stronger, but she still has very little use of her right front leg. Her right hind leg is getting softer and she moves it a bit more naturally now,(Her hind leg has been quite stiff since she was struck by FCE) but she still can not place it properly. She seems to be leaning on it most of the time, using it to balance. She also tends to stand with the top of the paw facing downwards.

When jumping around she seems to make sure to do it quickly, using speed to make sure she ends up where she wants, and she often falls when she reaches her destination.

I'm unsure how much of the progress is due to more strength and better leg function, and how much of it is due to her learning how to balance and using speed to get from one point to the other.

I had to stay home today because of the flu, so Cola did not get any TENS treatments today. She got massages instead.

Rehabilitation Day 3: Water Walker Treadmill Disaster

2010-02-07T03:07:00.000-08:00

Cola stood up by herself several times today, and she tries to jump around a bit. She falls down often, but responds very well to praise and keeps trying.

The water walker treadmill was not the positive experience that I had hoped for it to be. Cola refuses to use all legs but the left front leg, while in the water.

The water walker treadmill is a great tool for rehabilitation, but sadly I do not think it will do much good for my dog. She’s been in it before and was not to happy about it then either, as she hates water, but this time she became downright depressed by it. I've decided to concentrate on TENS, walks and massages for now. She got 2xTENS today.

Schnauzers have got a lot of fur under their paws, and to make sure that Cola has a good grip on the floor I removed all fur underneath her paws today.

Rehabilitation Day 2: Get UP Stand Up!

2010-02-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Our little Miniature Super- Schnauzer was able to stand up by herself today! She stood on all four and jump around a bit, before collapsing. She got three "long" walks in the harness and her confidence and strength grows steadily. I’m glad she does not weigh more than she does, as my arm I somewhat tired after a walk.

Cola now goes to the toilet all by herself, without any problems, and she no longer has diarrhea!

I bought a Nylabone for her today, so that she has something to gnaw on and play with. She shows no interest in toys and bones that does not smell or taste good, and anything edible disappears within minutes, so I figured it was worth a try. She loves it!

The walking harness got a few adjustments today, and it now works fantastically. She does not seem to be able to keep warm enough in it at this point though, and I discovered that I could use the harness coat that I made for her last weekend on top of the walking harness. This solves the problem!

3xTENS today, and a lot of luring her to jump around the living room. Tomorrow I'll take her to the hospital, for a walk in the water walker treadmill!

Rehabilitation Day 1: Fighting Colas FCE - First Signs of Progress!

2010-02-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

I's the first day after Cola, my Miniature Schnauzer, got her FCE diagnosis and started her treatment, and there is already signs of progress! This morning my dog could support her own body for a few seconds, before collapsing. A great sign!

I finished her new harness and she had a walk in it this evening. At first she just stood still, concentrating on not falling. I used treats to lure her to try and take a couple of steps (or more like jumps in her case), and her confidence and mood went up several notches as she discovered that she could move around in this thing! She jumped a a couple of minutes before she decided to sit down and pee!! :))))) After that she was very tired.

I gave her TENS 3 times, and my husband trained “raise paw” with her to activate her front leg.
What a wonderful day! Todays progress supports the FCE diagnosis.

I'm planning to have her walk in the water walker treadmill Sunday.

My Dog Was Diagnosed With FCE

2010-02-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

After a sleepless night without any worsening of Colas symptoms, she was put under and prepared for a CT scan. A CT scan (computerized tomography) makes a three-dimensional image from a series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken from different angles. With this method the vet can for example see a herniated disc or a tumor.

Colas fist scan showed no abnormalities. For me this was pretty devastating, as I was actually hoping for a herniated disc. To make sure nothing was “hiding” form us a myelogram was made.

A special dye, a contrast material, was injected into my dogs spinal canal to show where the spinal cord or nerves may be damaged. The next CT scan with the myelogram showed a little narrowing over one disc in the neck area, but the narrowing was not serious, and should not be able to cause the kind of symptoms my dog has.

So by the process of elimination we have ended up with FCE. FCE also fits because she is in no pain, and the lameness affects one side of her body, which it often does. I really hope this diagnosis is the right one, and that there is no secondary problem.

The narrowing shown on the myelogram CT kind of got me worried, but as one of the vets said “We could make a scan of everyone, and on most scans we would find something. Most of the finds will never ever cause a problem.” He’s right.

I understand that FCE dogs that feel pain when pinch between their toes have a good chance of recovery, and luckily my dog does feel pain when pinched.

The treatment for dogs with FCE consists of steroids to decrease inflammation in her spinal cord, and rehabilitation. Cola had a shot of steroids today and I’ve talked to our small animal physiotherapist about rehabilitation.

I feel lucky to be working in a hospital where we’ve got a physiotherapist, a water walker treadmill and TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) available for me to use.

Cola started with 2xTENS this evening. She is quite depressed, her bladder had to be emptied manually, and she got diarrhea from the medicine treatment. I can see that see feels bad when she has an accident, and I so hope she will be able to go to the toilet herself soon.

I’ve started modifying one of my dog harness designs, to be able to support both front and hind legs so that she’ll be able to walk a bit, and feel that she has some control.
Now all we can do is hope for the best!

Something is Very Wrong with my Miniature Schnauzer

2010-02-03T04:20:00.000-08:00

I woke up as usual this morning and went to the bathroom, while my Miniature Schnauzer Cola stayed in bed, like she always does until she can hear me get out of the shower.
When I got out of the shower I could hear that she did not land properly on her legs when she jumped out of bed, and as I stopped to listen I could hear that she did not walk normally. I hurried out to see what was wrong, and found her on the floor trying to crawl, not able to move her hind legs properly. She was very confused and sad. My heart must have skipped a beat at this point!

The fact that she had not made a sound as she jumped of the bed worried me, as a broken/dislocated leg or discus prolapse would hurt a lot. In my experience these problems are pretty straight forward, and fixable. Not to make these diagnosis seem like a walk in the park, but I was worried a neurological problem might be more difficult to fix.
I immediately examined her to see if she was in any pain, but she was not. I was relieved to know that she was not hurting, but it made me very worried as well.

Luckily I work in an animal hospital about 15 minutes drive from my home, so I rushed to work and had a couple of colleagues examine Cola. They found it to be a bit of a mystery, as she did not have any pain, but had no use of her right hind leg, and was week in her left hind leg. She could not stand up, and collapsed like a rag doll when not supported.

They suspected FCE (Fibrocartilaginous Embolism) or a herniated/prolapsed disc, even though she did not show any signs of pain, but then agin she has an extremely high pain tolerance, and could be in some pain without saying anything. We decided to give it a few hours as she might simply be numb after having sleeping in a position that put pressure on one some nerves.

About one and a half hour after getting to the hospital I took Cola out of her cage to check on her and found that she now had lost use of her right front leg as well. At this point the “numbness after sleeping in a wrong position”- theory was out of the question, and FCE or a herniated disc was the vet’s best bet. Therefore it was decided to put her into the CT scanner first thing next morning, when the surgeon responsible for the scanner got to work. The CT scanning will be able to show us if she has a herniated disc, or if something else is putting pressure on her spinal cord.

Before I went home this afternoon we emptied Colas bladder, as she was not able to do this herself.

Terrible as it sounds I find myself hoping for a herniated disc. I’d like for it to be something we can “just” remove!

The Flea and It's Life Cycle

2009-08-02T11:14:00.001-07:00

Good links to information on the flea and it's life cycle:
http://priory.com/vet/vetflea1.htm
http://www.healthypets.com/canflecon.html
http://www.frontline.com/

Image: Merial

Goslings Leg Fracture Treated with External Fixation

2009-07-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

This gosling was found floating around at sea with a broken leg. He was rescued and brought to Tiggywinkles Wildlife Hospital, where they decided to repair it's leg with an external fixation!

What a lucky gosling!

Read the whole story at the Telegraph.

Knitted Hats and Sweaters for Cats and Dogs

2009-06-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not much for dressing up pets, but there are certain breeds that gives you a good excuse to do just that, on certain times of the year. In that case there is no excuse not to do it with style! ;)

So if you feel you’re pet is in the need of something stylish to keep them warm, you might want to head over to Beantown Handmade and check out their knitted hats and sweaters for cats and dogs.

Enucleation - the surgical removal of the eye.

2009-05-31T09:56:00.000-07:00

Pic and information:
http://www.answers.com/topic/enucleation-eye
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=23197

de'cat'pitated heads - Handmade Environmentally Friendly Cat toys

2009-05-31T03:20:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Etsy and frequently stop by to have a look at the vast amount of handmade goodies available.

Todays big find was spellwell and "de'cat'pitated" cat toys - some very unusual cat toys resembling decapitated heads. There are fish-heads, octopus-heads, pigeon-heads, mice-heads and robot-heads available.

All spellwell toys are made from recycled felt and the catnip used is organic.

spellwells de'cat'piteted heads cost between 7.00 and 11.00 USD each. Three heads cost 25.00 USD.

Grafting (Graft) - To implant a portion of living flesh or akin in a lesion, so as to form an organic union.

2009-05-25T12:22:00.001-07:00

Sources:
http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning/graft/
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graft%5B2%5D

Interesting Science and Nature Sites

2009-05-24T04:31:00.000-07:00

Science Daily - A "scientific news site" that keeps you up to date with all kinds of science news. I love how it is possible to follow RSS feeds on each of the different categories, as I find following all news on this site a bit overwhelming.

ZipcodeZoo - Look up different species to learn about their habitat, their conservation status, their latin name and their taxonomy.

PLoS - A nonprofit organization of scientists and physicians committed to making the world's scientific and medical literature a freely available public resource. This site is full of interesting articles.

EOL - The Encyclopedia of Life - Working to organize and make available all information about life present on Earth. At this time it is not one of my favorite site to use while doing research on species, as I want information beyond taxonomy and general information, but this site is a work in progress and I imagine it will have extensive information on most species in the near future.

Scienceray - Nature/science site featuring a lot of interesting easy-to-read articles.

Sea and Sky - Exploring the Splendors of the Sea and the Wonders of the Universe - This is a site I would recommend to all science and nature interested families out there. Sea and Sky is filled with easy-to-understand information on space and sea. There are interactive activities and lots of pictures to look at. An ideal site for the whole family to explore together.

This was a few of my favorite science and nature sites. Please make a comment if you have a favorite science or nature site you feel like sharing!

BBC - Weird Nature - Bizarre Breeding

2009-05-24T03:35:00.000-07:00

BBC's Weird Nature is a six part series about the weird ways of nature.
The second episode, Bizarre Breeding, gives us a glimpse some of the more interesting and surprising breeding behavior nature has to offer.
Did you know the male hamster helps the female give birth? He actually cuts the umbilical cord!

Pyotraumatic Dermatitis - Hot Spot, Summer Sores and Moist Eczema

2009-05-10T07:29:00.000-07:00

What is a Hot Spot?

Hot spots (pyotraumatic dermatitis) is an itchy skin infection. It is usually caused by Staphylococcus intermedius, a bacteria that is always present on the dogs skin.

A hot spot often starts out very small and spreads very quickly. It is a red, irritated, moist and often hairless area, that can sometimes be yellowish from pus.

Causes

The infection is often thought to be caused by an underlying factor, like a flea bite, anal gland disease, ear infections or some other type of irritation, causing the dog to bite or scratch the area. Some of the more serious underlying causes are arthritis and degenerative joint diseases, such as hip dysplasia.

Dogs with allergies will often have problems with hot spots without there being any other underlying cause present.

When the dogs starts licking and biting the irritated area it triggers a viciuos cycle, as these actions causes the Staphylococcus intermedius bacteria to multiply and helps the infection spread. The infection causes even more irritation thus the dog will scratch and bite the area even more...

An other cause might be moisture that is trapped next to the skin, causing an environment where the bacteria can multiply. In this case the infection can be hidden under the fur, if the infection is in a place where the dog is not able to scratch or bite it.

It is therefore very important to make sure the dogs fur gets completely dry after it’s been in water.

Dogs with thick fur, like the German Shepherd and the Golden Retriever, seem to be more susceptible to hot spots.

Treatment

It is important to get a hot spot checked out by a vet to try and determine the underlying cause and to rule out any possible underlying causes of serious nature.

A hot spot is easy to treat. Often in the case of a small hot spot the only actions needed are clipping the fur and cleaning the lesion. In other cases the vet chooses to apply some disinfecting and/or desiccating powder, to help the healing.

In more severe cases antibiotics, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs may be necessary.

Want to know a bit more about hot spots?
You could start by visiting these sites: PetEducation.com, The Pet Center, Mangrove Veterinary Hospital and VetContact.

Pyometra - Uterus Infection

2008-12-16T13:17:00.000-08:00

Pyometra is a disease that occurs in the uterus. It is an infection that can occur a few weeks (usually 4-6 weeks) after estrus. The disease is mostly common i female dogs, but can also be seen in females of other animals, such as cats, rabbits, ferrets, rats and guinea pigs.
Pyometra in dogs usually occurs when the bitch is older than 6 years of age.

Symptoms

Common symptoms are vaginal discharge, depression, loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, fever, pale color, increased drinking and urinating.
These symptoms may not always seem too alarming. It is much like the symptoms of appendicitis in humans, which can bee mistaken for ”normal” stomach aces.

Surgery or medical treatment?

There are two treatments for pyometra. Surgery or medical treatment. The safest and most common choice of treatment is surgery, as the risk of having another Pyometra later on in life is significant if the uterus is not removed.

Surgery is done in the same way as a normal spay, only it is more complicated and involves more risks, as the the organ is infected and enlarged. The organ is also more fragile, and must be handled carefully. The size of the incision in a pyometra operation is therefore much larger than in a normal spay.

Medical treatment is a long term treatment with antibiotics and a drug that causes the uterus to contract.

This treatment should only be used for open pyometras, as less then 30% of bitches with closed pyometras are successfully treated using it. This is because when medical treatment is used on an open pyometra the puss has a way out when the uterus contracts, and with a closed pyometra there is a great risk of the uterus rapturing inside the abdomen, because the puss can not escape. If the uterus raptures it will most likely result in death.

A successful medical treatment does not prevent the dog from developing pyometra again. I fact 70% of successfully treated bitches will likely develop pyometra again within the next two years. This treatment is therefore mainly used for bitches that are meant to be used for breeding.

By breeding the bitch during the next estrus cycle, the risk of developing pyometra again is decreased, but he risk is still great. It is therefore recommended to have the bitch spayed after she's had the puppies.

Stump Pyometra

Bitches that have been spayed can get stump pyometra. This is when the stump of the removed uterus becomes infected, and the condition is more serious if there is any uterine or ovarian tissue left after the original spay operation.

Details about the disease

Pyometra is a result of hormonal and structural changes in the uterus.

It occurs at the point when the dogs heat/ estrus cycle has ended, and the cervix is starting to close.

If bacteria has traveled from the vagina up to the uterus, this bacteria will get very good growth conditions when the cervix closes, and can therefore result in a large infection, a pyometra.

If the infection occurs when the cervix has closed, it is called a closed pyometra.
If it occurs before the cervix has fully closed, it is an open pyometra.

In the case of an open pyometra there will be vaginal discharge.
In the case of a closed pyometra this symptom will not occur.

Bosa Travel Doghouse

2008-12-14T13:25:00.001-08:00

The Bosa Travel Doghouse is great for everyone who likes to take their little dog with them everywhere, and wants to do it with style.

The stylish suitcase shaped ceramic doghouse has platinum details, and offers a safe and familiar shelter for the dog wherever you go.

Bosa Travel Doghouse surtenly is stylish, but it does not come cheep! It can be bought for 670.00 EUR at Wannekes.

Slurpabowls - Portable Food- and Water Bowls for Your Dog

2008-12-13T10:02:00.000-08:00

I just stumbled upon Slurpabowls, which are practical portable bowls for your pet's food or water, with super cute design!

Slurpabowls are very small when folded flat, and can be attached to the dogs leash or carried in your pocket. When it is unfolded it takes the form of a dog. Very cute!

They are recyclable and reusable.
It is sold in boxes of six (assorted colors), and costs $8.99 at Yuppie Puppy Gear.

Foreign Body Was Underpants In the Small Intestine

2008-11-27T14:26:00.000-08:00

This is what a foreign body made out of fabric looks like, after a couple of days in the intestines. (Photo by KatDoc.)

A very sick Golden Retriever was admitted to the animal hospital a couple of days ago. He looked very poorly, and had not eaten for two weeks. After having scanned (using ultrasound) and x-rayed him, the surgeons decided to open him up, as every clue pointed to a foreign body in the intestines.

The foreign body turned out to be a pair of underpants stuck in his smaller intestine. Sadly the underpants had been stuck there for a very long time, and the dog did not survive the night, because of the state his intestines were in.

This is not a rare case, and dogs are often admitted to have foreign bodies removed. When the owner reacts quickly it is possible to remove foreign bodies by making the animal vomit, or by the use of an endoscope. This is a procedure that does not require the use of surgery and there are few risks involves.

If the foreign body is left to continue past the stomach and gets stuck in the intestines, it has to be removed surgically. A foreign body can cause a lot of damage.
Even things that you might think are pretty harmless, like a thread, can be deadly. A tread is difficult to discover using x-rays and ultrasound scans, and can start cutting through the intestines!

Precautions and symptoms

Some dogs and cats will eat almost anything. If you think your pet could possibly eat foreign bodies, like a sock, a bone or a piece of string, you need to make sure that anything it could eat, is out of it’s reach. Make sure the animal has lots of toys that are too big to swallow, to reduce the interest of dangerous items. This is even more important when it is home alone, when it might get bored and therefore start exploring!

If you suspect that your pet has eaten a foreign body, you should get to the vets and have it examined. If it starts vomiting, drooling, stops eating or has abnormal bowel movements, it might be signs of a foreign object and you must react promptly.

KatDoc has several interesting posts on her blog, about cases involving foreign bodies. The photo at the top of this post is from one of KatDoc's posts, involving the removal of a sock. The sock looks just like the underpants we removed from the Golden Retriever.

Notes regarding Pentrexyl

2008-11-27T12:17:00.000-08:00

Pentrexyl (Ampicillin) is a semi-synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic - a derivative of penicillin. Used when the animal needs to get antibiotics rapidly into the system-given as IV injection or IV infusion.

Works very well against anaerobic bacteria, and is therefore used after operations where e.g. intestines have been opened.

(Dissolve "Pentrexyl powder" in water (500 mg. in 5 ml water and 1 g. in 7,5ml water. Solution is given over a period of 5-10 minutes when injected and 20-30 minutes when infused.( IV.) Solution for injection must be used within one hour (2-8° C) and when used for infusion the solution must be used within 8 hours.)

Grooming My Miniature Schnauzer's Coat For The First Time!

2008-09-27T14:07:00.000-07:00

I took my time reading about it first, as I'm known to go a little overboard when I get a pair of scissors in my hand. Time and time again I've found myself in the bathroom, intending only to take a few centimeters of my fringe, ending up with a very short haircut. Not to mention this little ficus I once killed by going overboard with my trimming. I didn't want my baby to end up with no hair...so I took my time. :)

I found some great movies on YouTube. dogdayz was the one I got the most out of. Some sites that helped me a lot was Grooming The Schnauzer by Karen J. Brittans and grooming tips from Ykelenstams Miniature Schnauzers and Standard Schnauzer Club of America.

The miniature schnauzers have to be stripped if you are planning to show it. By stripping the coat the soft woolen undercoat is removed leaving only the wiry hairs. As I love my dog’s soft coat, and I won't be showing her, I decided to clip. She has been clipped before, and I don't even know if it is possible to strip a coat that has been clipped several times before.

I clipped my dog using an Oster clipper, size 10 and size 15 blades and a pair of scissors. The whole ordeal took a couple of hours and
I can see now that I have not clipped the head pattern strictly by the book, but I am still pretty satisfied with the result. I'm wondering if I should have made the arch of the "skirt" along the line of the nipples instead of her body though. This would have given her a very square look, as some of the nipples are sagging quite a bit, but then it would not be possible to see the nipples underneath the fringes.

I forgot to take a before photo, but I've provided a photo that gives an idea of how long her coat was before I started the grooming.

Sponsored link: Grooming Your Dog at Home Guide

National Geographic Assignment

2008-09-01T14:05:00.000-07:00

I love National Geographic’s new Assignment site. It is so clean looking and it’s packed with fantastic animal photos.

Assignment is filled with photos taken by some of National Geographic’s talented photographers and it is a joy browsing through the photos, as they can be viewed both by photographer and by style.

My favorite photographer, David Liittschwager, is one of the photographers featured at the Assignement site, and some of his fantastic underwater, macro and animal photos can be seen there.

pet-interiors - Fashionable Designer Beds for Cats and Dogs

2008-09-01T12:41:00.000-07:00

pet-interiors has a great selection of very decorative beds for cats and dogs.
They follow the same design tendencies that goes around in the world of human furniture and that makes their pet furniture very suitable to the modern home.

I love the idea of pet furniture being a natural part of the home and think the ideal thing would be to create a home where the pet’s furniture fit seamlessly in amongst the human furniture. All to often we have to hurry and hide the pet’s blankets and beds away before company arrives!

Pet-interiors have some great cat “caves” called RONDO that can be mounted on the wall or on a simple, yet decorative, metal base. As most cats love to cuddle up inside a little cave I’d think RONDO is just as pleasant for the cat as it is decorative.
RONDO comes in many different materials and colors, and decorative patterns or scratch surface is available as covers sold separately.

The RONDOs on sale at the moment! The wall mounted ones costs between 89 EUR and 519 EUR and the ones mounted on a metal base costs between 579 EUR and 699 EUR. Stop by pet-interiors.de if you’d like to know more or buy one.

Via moderncat

The World's Tiniest Snake

2008-08-04T04:33:00.000-07:00

S. Blair Hedges, a biologist at Penn State University in the U.S., has just discovered the world’s tiniest snake.

The tiny record holder has been identified as a new species, which is non venomous. It has been called Leptotyphlops carlae, and was found under a rock in the Caribbean island of Barbados.

Adult snakes of this species will grow to be about 10 cm / 4 inches long, and this makes them the smallest of roughly 3100 known snake species. Not much is known about this new species yet, other than that it eats termites and insect larva.

S. Blair Hedges research teams have earlier discovered other tiny species, like the world’s tiniest lizard, and the smallest frog in Cuba.

Via CNN.

Beautiful Sea Slugs - By David Doubilet

2008-07-13T10:46:00.000-07:00

David Doubilet has taken some amazing pictures of nudibranchs, also called sea slugs, for National Geographic. It is some of the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen.

You can read the article, look through the photo gallary and view the video about these magnificent creatures at National Geographic’s website.

Goldfish...

2008-06-24T12:35:00.000-07:00

Want to teach your goldfish some tricks?? Have a look at The R2 Fish School!

Via No puerdo creer

Spotlight-Loving Owl

2008-06-08T03:31:00.000-07:00

This owl seems to love all the attention he's getting as he lands on the field of a football match between Finland and Belgium. He decides to stay for a while...

Chameleon Snake

2008-04-13T10:10:00.000-07:00

And I who though only Octopuses and Chameleons could change color at will...

In 2006 a snake that changes colors like a chameleon was discovered in the heart of Borneo. It's color changing abilities was discovered when a scientist put it into a dark bucket, and when he went to retrieve it a few minutes later, it was almost entirely white.

The scientists named it the Kapuas mud snake, since the two specimens they collected was found in the wetlands and swamped forests around Kapuas River.

The Kapuas mud snake is poisonous and is believed to live only in the area around Kapuas River.

Via WWF

New Fish Species - Pug of the Sea

2008-04-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

This cute little fella, with forward facing eyes that has not been seen before, is all new to science. He was discovered in January this year in Indonesia, and he is supposed to be some kind of anglerfish, even though he's got no lure.
This fish likes to crawl around rather than swim, it's very good at hiding inside coral cracks, and it's about the size of a fist.

See National Geographic article for more information.

Doggles - Eyeprotection For Your Dog

2008-03-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

Doggles are the kind of fancy accessories that your dog can really benefit from. Besides the obvious reason to provide UV protection for your dog, goggles can protect you dogs eyes form foreign objects.

Some dogs come to the vet, time and time again, to have a foreign object removed from its eye. This is painful, can cause serious problems, and it is of course not cheep for the owner. This is especially a problem for dog breeds with bulging eyes, like the Pekingese, Maltese, Pug and Boston Terrier, to mention some, and these breeds’ eyes can also get very irritated from dust and wind.

Doggles can protect dogs’ eyes from dust, wind, and foreign objects. These sunglasses offer 100% UV protection, the lenses are shatterproof and anti-fogging. Doggles are very flexible and have snug-fitting frames with foam padding, kind of like swimming goggles, so you can be sure that they don’t cause any discomfort.

Via Styledash

Accessories For Dogs

2008-03-29T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am a huge fan of beautiful and fun dog accessories like leaches, collars, harnesses and other necessary pet products, like e.g. Pylones leashes, and I love when people choose these products with the look and personality of their dog in mind. What I do not like is when people who love pink diamond collars just happens to have a German Shepherd male they can use to show it of on, and similar situations.

I think it's a great thing that people have a good deal of money these days, and that many pet owners chooses to use some of the money on stuff for their pets, but we should bear in mind what gifts our pets will benefit from receiving. Maybe it would be a better idea to give Fido a new quality toy or a dog training course, instead of a diamond encrusted dog bed?

It makes me sad when I encounter dogs that obviously never have had proper training, and look like they came straight from a diamond accessory photo shoot. Dogs should not function as accessories for people.

Animals Inspire Amazing Robots

2008-03-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

If you are going to make a robot, what better way than to copy natures perfect designs that have developed over billions of years? But it's not easy to find out how natures designs really work, it takes a lot of research.

The Boston based Boston Dynamics have created the BigDog, a quadruped robot that can run, walk and climb through rough terrain with a heavy load on its back. BigDog looks more or less like a dog without a head, and it movements are much like a dogs or a horses.

BigDogs legs have compliant elements that allows it to absorb the legs shock absorption energy, that otherwise would be lost, and recycle it to create the next step.

It is amazing how much energy the legs produce to slow the legs down when walking, and there is much new technology taking advantage of this. A good example is the cell phone charger, which will allow us to recharge our cell phones just by walking.

One of Boston Dynamics' other robots, RiSE, can climb vertical surfaces like trees, walls and fences. To create RiCE they used technology made by studying how geckoes and roaches move and use their feet. See Robert Fulls TED Talk video, which I have written a bit about in an earlier article, to get very fascinating details on what their studies revealed, and how they used these finds to create RiSE.

Boston Dynamics also have also made the RHex robot that can move almost anywhere.

Via Have You Seen This?

Hennie van Heerdens Beautiful Animal Photos

2008-03-25T09:37:00.001-07:00

The devoted secretary, originally uploaded by hvhe1.

Love beautiful nature and animal photos? Be sure to check out Hennie van Heerdens photos on Flikr.

What the Dogs Tail Could Tell You if you Looked Very Closely

2008-03-23T20:12:00.000-07:00

It seams that the dogs "tail language" is much more diverse than first thought. It's time to pay some serious attention to the details of your pooch's tail wagging. Does your dog wag to the left or to the right when it sees you? It can actually tell you a lot, if you can spot the difference..

Science American tells the whole story.

Self-Entertaining Dog

2008-03-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my, the lengths some dog owners go to so they won't have to entertain the dog ;P

Cryptomundo

2008-03-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

I just discovered Cryptomundo through a BoingBoing article.
Quite an interesting site!

I knew scientists were discovering new species all the time, but I had no idea how many species we were talking about. Cryptomundo's roundup of new species discovered the last few weeks gave me a good ide of just how many.

A Couple of Gecko Videos

2008-03-22T17:23:00.000-07:00

TED has some amazing articles and videos. It’s a great resource when you're trying to keep up with the new scientific knowledge out there.

Here is some knowledge about the gecko and how it uses its amazing feet and tail.

TEDtalk on gecko feet.
Video report on how the gecko uses its tail.

Via TEDblog

Microscopy Images

2008-03-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

As I am in the early stages of my education, I am still very fascinated by microscopy. I've been told that this obsession is easily cured, and that I will most likely want to stay as far away as possible from the laboratory by the end of 2008.
I hope not! :)

I've looked through a few books about microbiology and dermatology, and as I've been told, the images are often of poor quality. That is why I've googled a bit this weekend, to find sources of better images. I found more that I hoped for. :)

My list of microscopy image sources:

Dennis Kunkel - Great site with lots of images in fancy colors.
Droplets - Lots of fantastic images, information, and a very nice collage.
Museum of Science - Some nice images in black and white.
Scarf Photo - Images with colors and zoom feature.
Flikr - Images tagged with electron microscope.
Molecular Expressions - Lots and lots of images.
Microscopy-UK International Microscopy Gallery - Big gallery.
SWEHSE - List of sites with microscope images.

Welcome to Studying Animals

2008-03-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

This blog is meant to function as a public notebook for me, while I make my way through the veterinary nurse education. It will contain notes and articles directly related to my studies, but it will also contain articles about anything animal-related I might find interesting.

As fashion design and product design is one of my other big interests, I will of course feature new, practical and cool products for animal as well.

I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog and comment on anything you find worthy of commenting on. ;)