Birthing Clues

Birthing Clues

There is no set time table, however the mare does give us a few clues that let us know that the arrival is near. Milk fills the mare's udder approximately 2 to 4 weeks and the teat become engorged 4 to 6 days prior to the event. The tail head may become more prominent within a few days of the foaling event and the vulva and croup muscles seemed more relaxed.

Within 1 to 4 days the teats may or may not 'wax over'. Colostrum (yellow, honey colored secretion) usually appears 1 to 4 days prior to birth of the foal. The udders may actually drip several days before foaling so keep a close eye on your mare if you want to be present at foaling time. As the time gets nearer the mare becomes restless and may appear anxious. She may also appear to be colicky as she gets up and lie's down frequently. The mare may bite at her flanks, and will become very sweaty. She will appear to raise her tail and urinate often, this is usually the first stages of labor. The birth is eminent! Colic may still be a possibility and if her behaviour is prolonged for more than 1 to 2 hours and no foaling has begun, contact you veterinarian immediately for his/ her advice. More often than not everything goes as planned with nothing to fear, remember this, horses have been giving birth long before we ever arrived on the scene. So take a breath, relax and happy foaling!

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It was long overdue, but better late than never?

Yes, it was LONG ago I wrote here last. It is moving forward with the horses, but some things happen all the time. Now we have a hovböld of Belle, she has been put in plaster package for nearly two weeks. This has also meant a visit this week of Hoof care in Kristianstad. Expensive, time consuming and hard work for both body and soul. Cloetta has been without his medicine really long now. There must be at least one month, if not almost two? We lost count of how time is passing to the final!

You can see now when you're free to actually get really tired of all this around the horses. To always plan and think and perhaps above all, wonder how the money is enough than the one than the other. It is, as I said, tight copyright laws visit, hay all summer, special to Cloetta, clinic visits, fix up the shipment (which we bought for it would be very travel now), construction of gravel paddock etc etc etc. In addition, the car trouble much throughout the spring, so the money could go to the horses extra expenditure has been put to the automotive repair instead. Tax money will probably go to full general overhaul of the brakes, rear ... SIGH!

But it turns well - at some time or what??

 

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We all know that cats are loving and truly wonderful creatures.  These days, it isn't out of the ordinary to see a cat in virtually every other home, sleeping in the window or cuddling up on the laps of their owners.  Although cats have been popular pets for as long as most can remember, they weren't domesticated less than 5,000 years or so ago.  Domestication took place in the valley of the Nile, which is what research tells us today.

 

In the beginning, people were very grateful to cats and encouraged them to stay with them by feeding them various scraps of food.  Once they were fed and perceived humans to be no threat, the cats would move in permanently with their human owners.  As time went by, even the wildest of cat would allows humans to approach him, often times even hold and touch as well.

 

In those days, cats were very loyal and endearing pets.  They proved to be great hunters, as they done their sleeping in short periods and were much easier to wake up than dogs.  Cats also have better night vision than dogs, and much better hearing as well.  If someone moved through the house or if they heard suspicious noises, they would wake while dogs would sleep right through it.  Humans loved having cats around, and they seemed to get along good with dogs as well.

 

These days, cats are used for both companionship and show.  They aren't used much at all for hunting mice and rodent anymore at all.  There are a lot of breeds available, from the traditional alley cat to the well known Siamese.  All breeds are unique in their own way, and will provide you with years of companionship if you take care of them.

 

Before you get a kitten or older cat, you'll first want to examine the source.  If you are getting the kitten from a breeder, you'll want to make sure that the breeder has a reputable reputation.  You'll also want to ensure that the cattery is clean and in good shape.  The kittens that are still there shouldn't be overcrowded, and their surroundings should be clean.  The litter boxes there should be kept up and both the food and water dish should be clean and full.  The kittens shouldn't be caged, instead free to run around.  All cats that are there should appear healthy, with shiny coats and none of their ribs showing.

 

When you get your kitten, it should be used to being touched and handled.  The kitten should be sweet, not afraid in the least.  Kittens that have been handled young normally have a better temperament.  The better breeders won't allow their kittens to leave the nest until they are around 12 weeks old, with some waiting until the kittens are 16 weeks.  By doing this, breeders ensure that the kitten is in good health and his immune system has properly developed.

 

There's no mistaken the fact that cats are great to own.  You can get a kitten from a reputable breeder, through a local newspaper, or an adoption agency.  Cats can also be obtained from a local pound, although people normally don't like to choose this option.  No matter which way you decide to pursue, you should always make sure that your cat is healthy.  If you get a healthy cat, you won't have a lot of problems later on down the road.  Healthy cats were taken care of – and normally have everything up to date – including their vaccinations.

 

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When most people think a pet is spoiled feel that it is getting to many treats, has too many expensive toys scattered around the ground, or it's allowed to sleep at night in bed with its humans, normally taking up the entire bed and hogging all the covers. I once even saw a pot bellied pig who was so spoiled that its humans designed an built the miniature porker its very own out house so it wouldn't get cold answering natures call.
 
Japanese pet owners take the term very-important-pets to a whole new level. In Japan well loved pets enjoy aromatherapy, acupuncture, trips to the doggie spa where they a lovingly massaged, and in some cases have their very own personal trainers.
 
It is a well known fact that we tend to spoil our pets because we love them we want them to have the best of everything but recent studies have shown that pampering our pets might actually doing as much harm as good. One recent study from an undisclosed source claims that we are actually making our beloved pets stupid by spoiling them. We are in such a hurry to make their lives easier that we take away their need to problem solve on their own. The less they have to loose their brains the less they can do on their own. This problem is especially common in households were the dog seems to be running the show. What would happen to that pet if it really had to think for itself?
 
A concern veterinarians have regarding spoiled pets is weight. The more spoiled the pet the more obese it seems to become. The obesity can lead to later health issues that can actually decrease the life of the pet. Weight can affect the skeletal system until hip problems start to develop, obesity can cause respiratory and cardiac problems, the extra pounds of blubber constantly pushing on the joints can start to create stiffness and discomfort. 
 
It is not uncommon for veterinarians to see a lot of the spoiled pet as it enters into the last few years of its life. The problem with older overweight pets is that every time they are brought to the vet clinic they are exposed to more germs, bacteria, and viruses that can lead to still more endless trips to the vet.
 
For the most part the humans caring for the very-important-pet don't have to worry about the increasing number of the visits to see a doctor. Most doting parents bought pet health care insurance during the early years of the pet's life. All of the pet's health care needs are essentially bought and paid for.
 
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if in a few years you didn't see pet health insurance companies raising the rates of their VIP customers. On solution to the pudgy, somewhat shallow house pet is the appearance of specialist animal slimming clinics. Pet owners can go to these clinics and learn all about their pets nutritional needs and exercise programs that will help the spoiled child start to shed some of those unnecessary pounds.

 

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Applesauce Spice Cake

1¾ cup flour
1¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cloves
½ cup oil
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
½ cup raisins (optional)
½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Stir flour, baking soda, salt and spices together. Mix oil, brown sugar and applesauce, stir in dry ingredients. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Bake in greased 8 or 9 inch square pan for 35 - 40 minutes.

 

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Dogs were born and bred to eat raw meat. The very first dogs were capable predators, and still are today.
If your dog was suddenly thrown out into the wild, his hunting and predatory instinct would take over and he would kill his prey and eat their raw meat.

 

That is how dogs were meant to be. Now most dogs are domesticated and owners have all but forgotten their dietary needs consist of not of the left over dinner, but of old fashioned raw meat.

 

Raw meat dog food provides dogs with the essentials they need to maintain optimum health. If your dog consistently ate raw meat dog food rather than over manufactured or cooked food, his digestive and immune system health would increase dramatically. You would also notice such long term changes as better quality coat and skin, clearer eyes, cleaner and fresher smelling teeth, gums and breath, increased energy and vitality and an overall happier disposition.

 

Veterinarian researchers have noted how they have begun seeing diseases and conditions on dogs and cats that were not seen many years ago. This could be due to the complete disregard by some owners for the traditional raw meat dog food diet that their dog should be eating. Instead, owners feel their pets are happier receiving the left over cooked meat from dinner when in fact this is not the case at all.

 

Many owners worry about giving their dog raw meat due to the preconceived notion of bacteria and parasites. However these do not affect animals like they affect humans, therefore you absolutely should give your dog raw meat.

 

If you want your dog to be at optimum health then you should try and replicate the food he would eat in the wild as close as possible. This is easy to do - give your dog a variety of certain raw meats and vegetables.

 

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For beginners, breeding Golden Retrievers is nearly impossible.  Breeding can be very complicated, although it can be easy as well.  You should never attempt to breed unless you know a lot about requirements for hobby breeders, as it is simply unfair to the breed if you have a litter of puppies that simply aren't what they should be.  People who look to buy Golden Retrievers only want top quality, which is why you shouldn't attempt to breed just have a puppies or make a few bucks.

 

Breeding Golden Retrievers is a very serious hobby, one that should be left to those who know how to make the right choices.  There is a certain amount of cost and care involved with breeding, especially if breeders are going for a certain quality.  There is also a lot of responsibility involved as well, which can take quite a bit of time to say the least.

 

Motivation for breeding
Breeding can help to fulfill the need of a Golden, although the dog still has no knowledge of it missing, no regrets, or no guilt towards living a life without having been breed.  A pregnant Golden Retriever female doesn't gain anything in regards to health, as it instead causes problems.  Golden females that have been spayed on the other hand, cannot be bred.  If you have chosen to have your Golden spayed, always remember that she will be unable to breed.

 

When looking to breed, quality breeders will have a lot of choices in front of them.  They will need to determine the pair, such as the mother and the father.  To get the highest quality possible from the litter, the breeder will need to determine the traits of both dogs, temperaments, and how well they seem to react to one another.  The breeder will also need to determine in either of the dogs have any type of health problems, to prevent any diseases or ailments from being passed on to the litter.

 

Sometimes, when breeding Golden Retrievers, the mother of the litter will prove to be unfit, which requires more work for the breeder.  If the mother isn't doing her job of nurturing her young, the breeder will need to do it for her.  This can be the most time consuming aspect of breeding, as the breeder will have to feed the young and make sure that they turn out as healthy as possible.

 

Aside from that, breeders also face quite a bit of costs as well.  The prices for daily care, food, and vet bills can be very steep to say the least.  When you crunch the numbers, you'll quickly realize that breeders don't make much money at all when they sale.  Most breeders do it for a hobby, not looking to make money.  Quality breeders on the other hand aren't concerned with money at all, as they are more concerned about the quality of their litters.  Quality is better than quantity, as even the best breeders out there have problems selling puppies from time to time.

 

Although breeding is fun for hobby breeders, it is something you really shouldn't be doing if you don't have the experience.  Although your Golden may get knocked up by a dog of a different breed without you knowing it, you should do your best to avoid it at all costs if you can.  A pure bred Golden Retriever should be bred only with dogs of her breed, to help preserve the breed and keep their bloodline going.  If you have thought about breeding in the past - you should really study long and hard before you actually make a reality of it.

 

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