Pet fountains are becoming a extremely popular accessory to add to your dog or cat’s life, and with good reason. This is due to the  real, identifiable health benefits to your pets if you give them a source of moving water. An added benefit is that while you’re creating a healthier pet, you will be also making your own life less complicated, and there is not anything wrong with that!

You might think it is just a sales pitch when you hear that a pet fountain will make your pet healthier. This is one situation when the hype is actually true. In the wild, animals generally don’t drink from standing water. This is due to their instincts telling  them that flowing water is typically cleaner and better for them than standing water. In addition to that they find a source of moving water more interesting than water that is sitting still. It has been proven over and over that when a pet is given a fountain to drink from, that pet will drink more water and be a healthier animal overall. The benefits to your pet’s health are hard to deny.

Pets, especially cats,  have problems with a high number of urinary tract infections along with kidney problems. The majority of these problems can be traced to the pet not drinking enough water. It goes back to the simple reality that if we can get our pets to drink additional water, it is almost a guarantee that they will be in better health.

So, with all the fountains on the market, how do you know the right choice for your home and pet? The best manner to approach your decision is to first narrow your list down to the top two or three, then research those further. Many vets advocate owners of cats to stay away from plastic accessories since plastic attracts bacteria easier than other materials.  Instead, look for one of the stainless steel or ceramic fountains that are on the market. The Drinkwell 360 Stainless Steel Pet Fountain is a great example of a high quality stainless fountain.

Most pet fountains operate in the same manner. A submersible pump is used  in order to recirculate the water through a charcoal filter then up through some manner of fountain. Depending on who makes the particular fountain you are looking at, the water might come out like a human drinking fountain, or it might feature water running down a ball before falling into the main bowl. Each manufacturer has their own identity which is shown off in how their particular fountain looks .

If you are going to place the pet water fountain in a low traffic area, you can choose pretty much any fountain. If it is going to be in a higher traffic location you might want to look at  a pet fountain that looks as if it fits in among the surrounding area.  Ceramic and stainless make excellent selections for fountains if they are going to be located in this type of area.

Read more pet related articles at http://www.tobeinformed.com/pets

A few years back, I remember hearing the story of a mayor in Paris who actually had his policemen start writing tickets for people that were not cleaning up after their pets. Right there in the sidewalks of Paris, things were getting out of hand. The problem had become so horrible that people just could not walk down the sidewalk without trying to dodge ‘land mines’.

I have had a similar experience in my own neighborhood. I like to walk, particularly in the morning. I faced the same ‘land mine’ situation on a certain stretch of sidewalk. This raised my anger. If a someone is really not going to clean up after her pet, why can’t she at least have the pet go somewhere other than the middle of the sidewalk?

Aside from the fact that the owner was not being respectful to her fellow humans, it is disgusting to walk down the sidewalk and suddenly realize that you have to watch where you step. The disgusting part is that this is organic waste that I have to avoid from another living creature. These animals could very well have parasites or other nasty things in their stool. This makes stepping in it a health hazard!

Sure, you can scrape the bottom of your shoe off before going back inside, but in all honesty how likely are you to get it all off – right down to the smallest particles that you might not even see? Some parasite eggs could end up on your carpet. Do you have a child that likes to put things in his mouth after crawling around the floor? How many little particles, no matter how small end up in your bed?

All right, I think the point has been made. On another note about animals, both cats and dogs have another problem that is very common to their human friends. That problem is gum disease. So many animals have it and so many humans do too! Do not forget to get your pet checked for gingivitis. Gum disease is the number one cause of tooth loss in humans and probably is in pets too!

The book: What You Should Know about Gum Disease, ISBN: 978-0981485508. Get your free report on gum disease at http://www.HowToStopGumDisease.com

Let’s face it: You love your pet! And as someone who has taken on the responsibility to take care of another being’s life, you want to do a great job.

Animals are living beings, just like us and they have health needs, just like humans -as I’m sure you are well aware.

As a pet owner, you worry about your pet’s health and safety. You know that your friends need you to take care of them and protect them from hazards. They also need us to know their health and nutrition needs to make sure they’re getting everything they need to stay well.

I’ve compiled a list of resources that may be useful to you in helping with the daunting task of caring for a pet or pets.

1. Veterinary Secrets Revealed – Pet Care is expensive. What can you do at home to care for your pet and keep him/her healthy, happy and well?

2. Pet Articles – There is a lot of pet gold in these articles.

3. Bad Breath Treatment for Dogs – If you have ever had a dog with bad breath, then you know why this is important.

4. Dog Health Guide – What You Should Know about Dog Health

Do you have a pet dog?

Ever wonder if your pet is happy eating the food that you give to him/her day in and day out?

Wouldn’t it be utterly cool to have a book of recipes that you could draw on to put some spice into your dogs daily eating regimen?

What if those recipes were actually healthy for your dog to eat.

Now, imagine how boring it would be to eat the SAME food day in and day out?

I’m bringing this up to introduce this fascinating website on dog food recipes to keep your dog’s palate happy

Source: http://allthingspondered.com

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He might not be the best looking fish, but the the Chinese Algae Eater is certainly the hardest working. If you are battling algae in your aquarium, this little fish can help clean it up in no time at all!

The Chinese Algae Eater (Gyrinocheilus aymonieri) is not striking in appearance, he is a light brown with a dark stripe down the back. His mouth is located underneath which is typical of a leach and this placement helps him to grip onto rocks and things so he can remain in place in the current. In your tank you will often see his underbelly as he hangs on to the glass eating the algae and acting as a fast and efficient tank cleaner. While it may seem like one fish cannot do the job, believe me you will be surprised as he can literally clean up your tank overnight, and keep it clean.

In the fish store, you will find mostly young Chinese Algae eaters that are about ½ inch to 1 inch in size. Even for this small size you will find that they eat an amazing amount of algae. Young fish will pretty much just go about their business, but older ones can be territorial so it is not advisable to have more than one Chinese algae eater in your tank.

This tropical fish thrives in most aquariums and his optimum temperature is between 77 and 82 degrees. They can probably tolerate lower temps, but if your tank gets below 69 degrees, the Chinese Algae Eater will stop eating so be sure to keep the tank warm so that your little living vacuum will keep doing his job.

Eating a herbivorous diet, your algae eater will need, of course, lots of algae in the tank so you will need to be sure that the tank gets light in order for the algae to grow. If it seems like he is not getting enough food, or you want to give him something different you can hang a bit of lettuce or s pinach on the side of the tank.

You may find that your Chinese Algae Eater hangs around mostly at the bottom of the tank, and that is where he is most comfortable. Of course, he will scour the tank regularly for algae so you will also see him on your rocks, decorations and sides. Although rather small at first, this fish can actually grow to 11 inches so you might want to be sure you have enough room to house him as an adult!

The Chinese Algae Eater can be purchased at your local aquarium store and is readily available. If the salesperson doesn’t know what a Chinese Algae Eater is, then try asking for an Indian Algae Eater or a Sucking Loach which are other names for this interesting fish.

So if you want a fish that is more practical than pretty and that will do your cleaning for you without asking for a weekly wage, the Chinese Algae Eater is a sure bet!

Lee Dobbins writes for http://www.fish-tank-guide.com where you can learn more about everything to do with your fish tank.

Article Source: http://allthingspondered.com

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