Probiotics - The Good Bacteria

PROBIOTICS - The Good Bacteria - Does your pet have digestion problems, diarrhea, skin problems, food intolerances, or other chronic health problems? Supplement with a high quality pet probiotic to restore your pet's healthy gut, and chances are you'll improve your pet's health.

A probiotic, sometimes referred to as good or friendly bacteria, is a microorganism necessary for a healthy and balanced intestinal tract. There are two types of bacteria found in the intestinal tract, good and harmful bacteria. Good bacteria, or probiotics, ensure good health as they are absolutely vital to help:

1.    Produce natural antibiotics, which can fight harmful bactera.

2.    Regulate and increase hormone levels.

3.    Manufacture B group vitamins, biotin and folic acid.

4.    Stimulate the immune system.

5.    Reduce food intolerance.

6.    Increase energy levels.

7.    Inhibit the growth of some yeast.

8.    Absorb nutrients, antioxidants and iron from food that is

eaten.

9.    Reduce inflammation.

10.    Increase digestibility of food.

Several things can destroy the intestinal bacterial balance in a pet's gut. Overuse of antibiotics destroys good bacteria as well as bad. Moreover, stress, poor diet, pollutants, environmental changes, and prescription drugs can also deplete beneficial bacteria.

Other culprits of good bacteria include chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and soil sterilizers in agriculture which damage the soil ecosystem and the natural flow of bacteria found in the food chain. These chemicals, as well as chemicals in the water supply, reduce the good bacteria in the gut. This allows harmful bacteria to multiply and produce large amounts of toxins and carcinogenic agents. These toxins inhibit the normal function of the digestive system and increase the demands placed on the liver and kidneys. Consequently, this speeds up the aging process and leads to various diseases and digestion problems.

Pets with large amounts of beneficial bacteria are better equipped to fight the growth of unhealthy organisms. So, if pets are to maintain a healthy body, they need large quantities of friendly bacteria. Supplement a well-balanced diet with a high quality pet probiotic and give your pet the health that he most certainly deserves.

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Chihuahua Training is Easy!

You may be wondering if Chihuahua training is easy or hard. Well, from my experience it is very easy! If you've already managed to raise a dog with behavioral problems (this is easy too!) you can correct them in a very natural way by following a few simple recommendations.

There is one book that I highly recommend (I wish I had written it!) that goes well beyond what most dog trainers talk about and gets to the heart of how your dog feels about and experiences life. In the book The Dog Listener by Jan Fennell, you'll read that dogs naturally feel like they still belong to a pack and they want to interract with you as part of the pack.

Our Chihuahua is named Yoda (our son is a huge Star Wars fan) and he's so happy now that he doesn't have to worry about leading the pack anymore. He's no longer "top dog" ...unless of course we change our behavior in a way that promotes him up to leader of the pack again. But then it's easy enough to change positions again by performing our newly learned Chihuahua training methods!

You can try some simple things the book recommends yourself to see how they work, like making it look like you've eaten some food first and then giving your dog his/her food to eat. Then, if after 5 minutes or so the dog hasn't eaten the food, take it away. This lets the dog know that you're in control of the food supply...a classic top dog role! And the next time you feed your precious pet they wil be sure to gobble up whatever leftovers you've provided for them. With a small breed like the Chihuahua it's also important not to overfeed them, but that's a subject for a Chihuahua Health article.

Another thing to try is to ignore (this can be very hard with Chihuahuas since they're so cute!) your dog for the first 5 minutes after you come home. The top dog never makes a fuss over the pack when returning home. But it's OK to worry about and make a fuss over your Chi when it returns home (like after going outside to "do it's duty").

It's amazing to see the difference in Yoda's behavior when we follow a few simple rules of how to live life in a [Chihuahua] dog pack. Chihuahua training becomes easy!

If you're like me (I'm not known to be a patient shopper...I want it now!) you'll want to go out and pick up the book at your local bookstore today or check out your local library to see if they have a copy. I don't know the author and the only reason this was written is we both feel it can do so much good for so many people and their pets. Especially if you may be thinking your dog is out of control and may have to be put down. Please, please read this book before taking any such drastic action!

Joan & David Anderson are creators of a site dedicated to pictures of Chihuahuas, plus Chihuahua resources. Visitors and Chihuahua picture submissions are welcome. Please visit

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A Look At Cat Breeds

Over the last thousands of years, cats have pretty much handled their breeding themselves.  In the beginning, they were used for one purpose - hunting and killing rodents.  As the years progressed, we began to breed cats more to our liking.  Now days, there are several different breeds of cats - which you can tell if you look closely.

These days there are over 70 distinct cat breeds, which are recognized through cat registries.  There are several registries that will recognize around 40 breeds or so, as they exclude the more domestic breeds such as tigers.  There are also many variations as well, including wild cats that have longer hair.

There are some cat breeds who have roots going back quite a bit in history.  Some Japanese breeds, such as the Japanese Bobtail, can be traced back more than 1,000 years in history.  These cats were very common and well known throughout Medieval Japan.  Now days though, they are all but a myth throughout Japan and the entire world.

The more common cat breeds that are found in North America include the alley cat, long haired cat, and Persian cat.  Siamese cats are also common, although they are well known to be destructive and to have a foul temper.  Persian cats are very popular, proving to be loving companions.  Persian cats can be very expense, depending on where you get it and what type of Persian cat it is.

Alley cats are the most common in North America.  There are actually several different breeds, although most of us just refer to them as alley cats.  They make good pets, although there are literally thousands of them in existence.  Cats are known to breed more than any other pet, and they will continue to breed until they are stopped.  Alley cats are among the most bred, as there are hundreds of thousands of cats that are homeless - and have nothing to do but breed.

The look of the cat is the easiest way to tell what breed he or she may be.  Some people choose to go by color, although color isn’t as easy to identify.  Different breeds of cats have different looks, such as the Siamese and Persian cats.  Siamese cats are almost always black, and easy to identify by their color and their eyes.  Persian cats on the other hand, are easily identified by their body type and their hair.

Over the years, there has been quite a few breeds come along.  Cats were one of the first pets, and easily one of the most popular.  Millions of people around the world own cats, with many people preferring a cat over any other pet - including dogs.  No matter breed of cat you get - you’re sure to get a pet who make for a great companion for years and years to come.

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HOW TO PRESERVE GOOD hamster?

Here are some basic things you need to provide to keep hamsters. This is the minimum equipment list to ensure the survival of a hamster is feasible:

1.Kandang
Minimum-sized hamster cage 35 x 40 cm for a hamster. The bigger the cage the better. Cages for hamsters varied, ranging from unwanted aquarium until the cages specifically designed for hamsters. If you use an aquarium, earned the top closed to prevent escape or mice hamsters entered the house and eating your hamster. If you use an iron barred cage, note the distance between the bars are nice and tight enough for your hamster. Hamsters can 'shrink' body, making it flat and then menggembungkannya again. Elasticity of your hamster's worth considering.

2.Serbuk Wood
Provided a lot of sawdust everywhere. Choose which odorless chemicals. Especially for local powders are cheap, most of the sawdust from wood shavings used wood furniture and have been given chemicals.

In addition to local pollen, there are also powder imports more expensive. But the use of powder, of course, satisfactory. Sawdust drier, cleaner, free of dust, more white and free of harmful chemicals, it ensures safety and also beautify the hamster fur (moisture can ruin the appearance of hair hamster).

Thickness powder good hamster is approximately 2-3 cm from the surface of the cage. If you do not use the powder you may be wondering what use this sawdust:
1.Sebagai bedding.
Absorbent media 2.Sebagai hamster urine. Imagine if there was nothing to absorb urine hamsters! That smelled of urine that will stick in hamster fur and feather damage smells wonderful and makes no delicious!
3.Sebagai shelter from the heat and cold. You can not monitor and maintain your hamster every minute so as not too hot or too cold is it? So they need something to where they take refuge when the weather becomes 'too' much for them.
Nest 4.Sebagai fabric. Oh yes hamsters make a nest, usually in the corners of their favorites. Pulverulent their nests are stacked with a hole to sleep in the middle. Mother hamsters usually put their children in this nest!

3.Makanan Hamster
The best hamster food to date remain held by hamster foods manufactured imports. Even so you also must remain vigilant and more careful in choosing which again imports of good food. Some imported foods contain too much dye, too many sunflower seeds or other materials that can hurt the hamster itself. Several kinds of fruits and nuts can be given once a week as a snack. Give a limited number of (very little!)

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