Archive for May, 2014

Is My Pet Overweight?

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

OverweighPetsPostWe hear plenty in the news about the issue of obesity in America. But did you know that 55% of dogs and cats are overweight?

Risks
A pet weighing more than 10-20% of its optimal weight is at risk for:

  • High blood pressure
  • Ligament injury
  • Heart and respiratory disease
  • Increased risk of developing cancers of the mouth, skin, bones and liver
  • Type II Diabetes
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Kidney disease

Ultimately, overweight pets can have a decreased life expectancy of 2.5 years, which is equivalent to 38 human years!

Is my pet overweight?
Signs that your pet has packed on a few too many pounds:

  • Difficult to feel ribs under fat
  • Sagging stomach – you can grab a handful of fat
  • Broad, flat back and now waist

How much should my pet weigh? Here are some general guidelines for popular breeds:

  • German Shepherd: 75-95lbs
  • Labrador Retriever: 65-80lbs
  • Beagle: 18-30lbs
  • Yorkshire Terrier: 7lbs or less
  • Maine Coon Cat: 10-25lbs
  • Persian Cat: 7-12lbs
  • Domestic Breed Cat: 8-10lbs

Feeding
Many pets get 2 times the food they need, plus treats throughout the day. Follow these daily caloric needs for best portion control:

  • 10lb dog: 200-275 calories or one bowl of food and one treat per day
  • 10lb cat: 180-200 calories or one bowl of food and one treat per day
  • 20lb dog: 325-400 calories or one bowl of food and two treats per day
  • 50lb dog: 700-900 calories or two bowls of food and four treats per day

Exercise

We all need exercise on a daily basis and our pets are no different. Include you pet in your exercise routine and you’ll both be healthier for it!

For more information on healthy weight loss tips for your pet, visit http://www.petobesityprevention.com

Cut Watering In Half With Hydretain

Thursday, May 22nd, 2014

retail_quartAfter 9 years of commercial use by golf course, nurseries, sod farms and top landscapers, Hydretain is now available for home use. This product allows homeowners to water up to 50% less and maintain healthy, great looking plants and turf. Hydretain is a patented blend that attracts and hold moisture like tiny water magnets within the soil. This extends watering intervals of both indoor and outdoor plans and grasses by as much as 2 to 3 times. Each application reduces watering for up to 3 months.  It not only helps keep plants clear of daily wilt cycles and drought, but also contributes to more complete usage of water applied by rainfall and irrigation.

The benefits of Hydretain for the homeowner:

  • Minimize drought stress
  • Lower utility bills
  • Avoid watering restriction fines
  • Extend watering intervals
  • Improve transplant success
  • Eliminate localized dry spots
  • Conserve water

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4 H County Show

Monday, May 19th, 2014

The 4H County Show will be held in the back arena at the Young County Arena on June 8th. For additional information visit www.youngcountyarena.com.

Red River Cutting Horse Association

Monday, May 19th, 2014

The Red River Cutting Horse Association will be in main arena at the Young County Arena on June 27-28. For additional information visit www.youngcountyarena.com.

Young County Barrel Racing

Monday, May 19th, 2014

Young County Barrel Racing will be featured at the Young County Arena on June 19 at 6pm. For additional information visit www.youngcountyarena.com.

4H Horsemanship Clinic

Monday, May 19th, 2014

A 4H Horsemanship Clinic will be held at the Young County Arena On June 2-3. For additional information go to www.youngcountyarena.com.

World Series Team Roping

Monday, May 19th, 2014

World Series Team Roping will be held at the Young County Arena  June 13-15. Additional information can be found at at http://www.youngcountyarena.com.

Tips For Tackling Flies

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

Fly season is just around the corner, but you can keep your horses comfortable throughout the tail-swishing season with a few basic strategies. While flies are a nuisance, more importantly they represent a health threat to animals because of the spread of diseases associated with their infestation.

While almost impossible to completely eradicate them, it is worth the time and effort to keep your horses’ environment as fly-free as possible.

First Line of Defense: Stable Management

In the barn there are several things you can do to discourage flies from setting up camp.

  1. Remove manure.  Flies are drawn to horse droppings. This is where they prefer to mate and lay eggs; resulting in larvae feast on the feces. To keep this from happening, clean your horse stalls and pens daily, removing the manure to an off-site location once a week if possible.
  2. Minimize moisture. Several fly species prefer wet areas for breeding as well as drinking. Keep stalls dry; eliminate standing puddles around your horses’ living areas; get rid of inadvertent water receptacles—old tires, no-longer-used buckets and feeders, etc.
  3. Cover feed. Place anything that will attract flies in garbage containers with bug-proof lids; keeping grains, concentrates, and treats securely stored.
  4. Offer shade and good airflow. A breezy, shaded area will help your pastured horses avoid flies. In the stable a barn fan is a great fly-chaser.

The Well-Rounded Attack

Combine one or more of the following methods with good stable management and you’ll keep the bugs around the barn to a minimum.

  1. Barn Spray System. These mechanized systems automatically mist a fast-acting natural insecticide (pyrethrum) throughout your barn several times a day, killing and/or repelling flies. Once installed, these systems are highly effective and hassle-free. Pyrethrum is environment-friendly and biodegrades within 30 minutes of spraying. 
  2. Topicals. Sprays, roll-ons, wipe-ons, and spot-ons provide a contact repellent or vapor barrier to make your horse less attractive to flies. Topicals will help keep your horse comfortable but are not sufficient alone as a prevention program.
  3. Barriers. Masks, sheets, and boots are anti-fly wear and offer good sun protection, especially for horses with exposed pink skin.
  4. Traps. Bait or other attractants lure flies where they perish. To utilize these products effectively you need to know which type of flies you have and select the traps accordingly.

Source: Equisearch, Jennifer Forsberg Meyer

Horse Feeding Pitfalls: Lack of Salt

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

In our continuing series regarding horse feeding pitfalls, we now turn to the need for salt in the equine diet.
Sodium and chloride–the components of table salt–are electrolytes essential to many bodily functions. Both are lost in sweat and must be replaced from the diet. These are also the only essential nutrients that are not naturally present in grasses and grains.
Horses have a natural appetite for salt and consume what they need if given the opportunity. Placing a salt block in your herd’s pasture is the easiest way of providing access to this vital nutrient, but to ensure that all horses get the salt they need, you may decide to put out multiple blocks or even place a small block in each horse’s stall.

If you choose the latter option, be warned, says Crandell: “Some horses kept in stalls a lot will get bored and start overeating salt, and this will make them drink a lot more and then pee a lot more.” For these horses, she suggests offering just a daily portion–one or two ounces of loose salt, or more if it’s hot or the horse has been sweating heavily. “If the diet is balanced, plain white table salt is fine,” she adds. “It doesn’t have to be mineralized.”

If you do offer loose salt, it’s best to keep it in a bucket rather than pouring it over feed. A horse’s need for salt may fluctuate daily. If you give too little, you can create imbalances; too much, and the feed may become unpalatable.

Source: Equisearch, Laurie Bonner

Horse Feeding Pitfalls: Overloading Nutrients

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

“One common mistake is adding supplements to the horse’s diet without first checking to see if the ration is already overloaded with any specific nutrients,” says Crandell. To avoid creating harmful imbalances, calculate the nutrients a horse is getting from his basic feed ration before adding a vitamin or mineral supplement.

Products formulated to support specific body processes, such as joint repair or hoof growth, are less likely to cause nutritional overloads, but be sure to read their labels so you know what you’re getting. Some supplements that contain glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronan or biotin are also enhanced with vitamins and minerals.

“I’ve seen vitamin A toxicity in horses who were given multiple supplements that all contained similar ingredients,” Ralston says. Selenium, an important mineral, is also toxic in high quantities and may be an ingredient in different supplements as well as commercial feeds. “If you’re already using a good vitamin supplement, you probably don’t need vitamins in your joint supplement, too,” says Crandell.

Of course, nutritional supplements are often beneficial and sometimes essential. Horses whose hay is grown in selenium-poor soils need supplemental selenium.

Likewise, horses who receive hay but have little access to pasture may benefit from supplements containing vitamins A and E, because levels of these nutrients begin to deteriorate once grass is cut.

Also, elderly horses, growing youngsters, broodmares and others with special nutritional needs are likely to benefit from vitamin supplements, as are horses in strenuous sports. Vitamin E, in particular, is often given to elite athletes to help them recover from exertion.

Source: Equisearch

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