MOSQUITOES ARE A HAZARD TO YOUR PET'S HEALTH TOO

Written by Scottie Johnson


None of us likes to be bitten by mosquitoes and sometimes it is easy to forget that our pets suffer from mosquito bites too.

Mosquitoes feed on blood, and they will take it where they can find it. Onlyrepparttar female bites,repparttar 110905 males feed on plant nectar. Whilerepparttar 110906 female may have preferred hosts, she must have protein from blood to produce eggs. And, one blood meal is often not enough to produce a clutch of eggs. Oftenrepparttar 110907 female will feed, rest to digestrepparttar 110908 meal and feed again up to three times before she can get enough protein to produce her eggs.

So, each time your pet is outside in mosquito territory, it is a sitting target for a hungry female mosquito that is eager to reproduce.

Many species of mosquitoes will choose birds over humans or pets, but they have even been known to feed on frogs and other reptiles, if that is what they can find for a blood meal.

Most responsible pet owners know ofrepparttar 110909 hazards from mosquito bites associated with heartworm disease in cats and dogs. Mosquitoes carry parasite larvae, which they transmit to your pet once they bite. The parasite larvae then migrate torepparttar 110910 heart and major circulatory organs in your pet, where it develops into an adult worm that can reach ten inches in length.

The problem with heartworms is that they can take many years to develop into an adult that can cause symptoms in your cat or dog. Dogs are usually more at risk than cats, simply because they are usually outdoors more often. Byrepparttar 110911 timerepparttar 110912 symptoms develop, treatment is long and difficult. Sometimesrepparttar 110913 pet owner is unaware ofrepparttar 110914 problem until repparttar 110915 animal simply dies during exertion, a tragic ending that is very preventable.

Protection against heartworms is as easy as a trip to your veterinarian. Many effective medicines, which are given orally, can prevent development ofrepparttar 110916 larvae, if an infected mosquito bites your pet. The biggest failure of these medicines is pet owner default. They must be administered faithfully once per month with no lapse in treatment. And, just because it seems like mosquito season is at bay, don't lapse and forget to give your pet its dose. Many mosquitoes over-winter in protected places and they arouse ready to bite long before you might expect them.

Luckily, it is now possible to get a shot for your pet that will afford protection against heartworms for up to six months. Even diligent and caring pet owners can sometimes forget aboutrepparttar 110917 narrow window of opportunity for administeringrepparttar 110918 oral medication. This new advancement spares you and your petrepparttar 110919 risky aftermath of those lapses.

Now, pet owners have an even greater concern about mosquito bites to their pets. While rare, West Nile virus has been reported in both dogs and cats. There are very few reported cases of pet fatalities in dogs and cats, butrepparttar 110920 risk still exists. Instead, most ofrepparttar 110921 time, repparttar 110922 animal may test positive forrepparttar 110923 virus, without having symptoms.

If your pet has West Nile virus, it may haverepparttar 110924 following symptoms: fever, depression or lethargy, muscle weakness or spasms, impaired coordination, seizures or paralysis. If your pet has these symptoms, consult your veterinarian immediately.

What You Can Learn About Life From Your Child

Written by Marie Magdala Roker


You can learn a lot from children.The best part of all isrepparttar advice is priceless.

Walls looked so much better when they are decorated with artwork. Markers and crayons work best.

The living room is so much better for running around and making noise than your own bedroom. A couch isrepparttar 110904 best trampoline.

Money may not grow on trees, but it sure is always in your parents' pockets.

Real life, including your love life begins in kindergarten.

Parents are confusing. They tell you not to speak to strangers, then when you meet a stranger, they tell you to say hello.

Saying, "You look like Patrick from SpongeBob Squarepants is really a compliment.

No matter how many times you watchrepparttar 110905 same TV show, listen torepparttar 110906 same song, readrepparttar 110907 same book, watchrepparttar 110908 same tape or dvd, you can never really get tired of it.

You can never have too many Thomasrepparttar 110909 Tank Engine trains or Hotwheels cars.

Even though you have your own bed, you just have to sleep in your parents' bed.

Mommy knows where all your toys are.

I don't know what boundaries are, but if you teach me, I'll respect your boundaries, if you respect mine.

There is always something important to tell your parents when they're onrepparttar 110910 telephone or talking to someone else.

If parents laugh when we say bad words, we'll just keep saying them.

You can never be sleepy or tired.

Although you are too full for any more dinner, you always have room for dessert.

Kids have selective hearing, we may hear you say, "Who wants ice cream?", but we can't hear when you say, "Turnrepparttar 110911 television off."

Everyone overrepparttar 110912 age of 10 is old, so there is a possibility that your parents did know Abraham Lincoln.

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