Consider adding a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement if you're feeding lower-quality forage. "Be careful when buying special 'winter supplements,' " Williams says. "Most of these are just multi-vitamin/mineral supplements, but cost more because they are called 'winter supplements.' Really, any multi-vitamin/mineral will do as long as it is formulated for horses. Some vitamin and mineral supplements are formulated based on the type of forage that is provided for the base of the diet (grass or legume hay, pasture, etc.). Make sure to read the label closely before purchasing and match it to the bulk of your horse's diet."
In other words, there aren't any specific nutrients you should supplement in cold weather vs. warm weather; supplementation is just based on the seasonal change in forage nutrient intake that occurs in horses on pasture (Just as long as the horse is normally on a balanced diet.)
When choosing a supplement, check the label and only buy something that tells you the actual ingredients, Williams urges. "For example, something that claims to have high levels of antioxidants, probiotics, vitamins, and minerals in a 'special formula' is a little fishy and would be best to steer away from," she says. "Stick with something that tells you specifically what vitamins and minerals are in the product and how much."
How quickly a supplement begins to produce an effect depends on the type of supplement. "If its base is water-soluble, then only a couple of days to a week is needed," says Williams. "If it is fat-soluble, it may take a couple of weeks to months."

From the Northeast Fisheries Science Center: With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life.
[Courtship behavior of the box jellyfish Copula sivickisi. The male (top) and female (bottom) engage in a complex mating ritual unique among cnidarians (jellyfishes, hydroids, anemones, corals and their kin). (Image courtesy of Alvaro E. Migotto)]


In a paper published November 18 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, NOAA researchers Allen Collins, Bastian Bentlage and Cheryl Lewis Ames of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center’s National Systematics Laboratory and colleagues from the University of Kansas, Pacific Biosciences Research Center in Hawaii and the University of Queensland in Australia have unraveled the evolutionary relationships among the various species of box jellyfish, thereby providing insight into the evolution of their toxicity.
“By determining the relationships among the different box jellyfish, some of which are capable of killing a healthy human, this study can help in the future development of antivenoms and treatments for their stings,” said Collins, a specialist in Cnidaria (pronounced nidaria), the phylum of animals that includes box jellyfish. “Researchers will now be able to make more informed choices about organisms for future venom studies, and make predictions on which species are likely to be of public health concern in addition to the known culprits.”
[Craybdea branchi, a box jellyfish native to the South African coast. (Image courtesy of Brent Viljoen)]


Beyond their toxicity, box jellyfish have other interesting characteristics.Some species have as many as 24 eyes, capable of sensing light and forming an image of their surroundings. Why they have complex eyes, how well they see, and what role vision plays in their mating and feeding behavior remain unknown.
Their vision may have something to do with the evolution of some extremely unusual mating behaviors in box jellyfish species. Jellyfish usually mass spawn, with males and females releasing sperm and eggs into the water without any physical contact. Study co-author Cheryl Lewis Ames has documented at least one box jellyfish species, Copula sivickisi (formerly Carybdea sivickisi), that exhibits a courtship of sorts where a male and female interact one on one to mate.
Box jellies, also called sea wasps, stingers or fire jellies, live primarily in warm coastal waters around the world. They are particularly well known in Australia, the Philippines and the rest of southeast Asia, but they also occur in Hawaii and in waters off the United States Gulf and East Coasts. Their toxicity varies among species and ranges from being completely harmless to humans to causing death within minutes after a sting.
Named for their box or cube-shaped body, these animals are members of Cubozoa, the smallest class of Cnidaria, animals ranging from sea anemones and corals to Portuguese man of war and true jellyfish, all of which possess stinging capsules known as nematocysts.
Using DNA extracted from tissue samples, the researchers used a number of genetic tests and analytical techniques to trace the evolution of the various species and their toxicity and to sort out misidentified species. The three-year study looked at dozens of specimens in collections around the world.
The Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), the largest box jellyfish species, is considered the most venomous marine animal and its sting can be fatal. Its close relative, Chironex yamaguchii, has caused deaths in Japan and the Philippines. A much smaller species, Carukia barnesi, is the first species known to cause Irukandji Syndrome. Symptoms include severe low back pain, nausea, headache and vomiting, and sometimes “an impending feeling of doom”, but the syndrome is usually not life-threatening. Other box jellyfish species are now known to cause the same symptoms.
[The box jellyfish Chiropsalmus quadrumanus can be found from Brazil to the U.S. East Coast. It is not considered as venomous as its infamous relative, the Australian sea-wasp Chironex fleckeri. This image was taken of a specimen collected on the border of North and South Carolina and now housed in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. (Image by Bastian Bentlage)]


“Knowing who is related to whom among the box jellyfish will be very helpful in making predictions about species that are not well known,” said Collins, who began studying the evolutionary links of box jellyfish more than a decade ago. ”For example, we may not know how serious the sting is from a particular jellyfish species, but if we know its close relatives cause Irukandji Syndrome, than it is highly likely that this species also causes the syndrome. Similarly, there is an antivenom for Chironex fleckeri, whose closest relative is Chironex yamaguchii. It may be that the antivenom will work against stings from this species as well.”
The study results indicate that the venoms of box jellies may contain a novel and unique family of proteins. However, further toxicological tests and many more specimens are needed to resolve questions about venom and to develop antivenoms and treatments for box jellyfish stings.
Cnidarians are difficult to study because their relatively simple structure makes it hard to compare to other groups of organisms. Few specimens are available in natural history museums or laboratories preserved for biological and molecular study, and fossil records are rare.

Despite few specimens to study, the scientists found several patterns in the global distribution of box jellyfish species. Some live exclusively in the Atlantic, others in the Pacific, and still others are found in the Indian Ocean. A few are found in all three oceans and may live in tropical regions around the globe. Geography seems to isolate species and most don’t seem to cross open ocean habitats. Ancient plate movements and the resulting sea-level changes appear to have forced some of the initial diversity among these species.

With budget cuts being made left and right within the educational system, this probably will help out an abundance of teachers.

I wanted to let you know (and have you tell all the teacher you know) about the this complimentary Critters in the Classroom educational program I found. Teachers get a FREE habitat, classroom pet, and access to games and lesson plans!

To participate in Critters in the Classroom, teachers can sign-up at Critters in the Classroom, and a free habitat with starter supplies will be delivered within two to four weeks. Once the habitat is received, a hamster or gerbil can be purchased from any local PetSmart store, and a hassle-free online rebate of up to $19.99 will be issued!

Petfundango.com also provides free downloadable lesson plans, along with other resources to help incorporate a pet into a classroom.

I hope you will pass this on to teachers you know! Even if they don't live in the eligible states, there is still alot of information they can get for free!

I just received a notification from the AVMA that a 10-year old male cat in Oregon has reportedly died from H1N1 infection. The cat was presented to a veterinarian on November 4 and died on November 7, 2009. From the AVMA Flu Virus Outbreak page:
The Oregon state public health veterinarian has reported that a pet cat has died from presumed 2009 H1N1 influenza virus infection. The cat was one of 4 cats in the household and became ill approximately one week after a child in household had a flu-like illness.
Samples were obtained and tested (PCR) positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Additional samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) for confirmation and are still pending.
More from the OVMA
The Oregon Veterinary Medical Association (OVMA) reports that the cat presented with rapid shallow breathing, but did not show signs of coughing and sneezing. The three other cats in the household showed signs of sneezing and coughing in varying degrees, but none of them tested positive for H1N1. Read full OVMA report
The Big Picture
While this is a new twist to the H1N1 and pets story, it is important not to panic. All cases of pets becoming ill have been from humans transmitting the virus TO pets. Washing hands, covering coughs, isolating sick individuals and visiting the doctor/vet when sick are the mainstays of prevention.
The number of confirmed cases of H1N1 in pets is extremely small compared to the pet population in general. Many pets housed with humans who are ill from the flu have not caught the virus. Practicing good personal hygiene and environmental sanitation and isolating sick individuals will help keep your pets healthy.

Sea monsters sightings are centuries old, but a new claim and video has Florida residents concerned about this latest sea creature. Madeira Beach resident Russ Sittlow claims his Florida canal is home to a creature that’s now being labeled "Normandy Nessie" or the “Madeira Monster.” Sittlow claims this sea beast is about 30 feet long, has sharp teeth and feeds on fish. I wanted to understand what this creature could be, so I spoke with Andy Garrett, a biologist at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Garrett reviewed the video of the creature and offered a possible explanation. (You'll need to have Flash enabled to hear his responses.)

Question: What are your thoughts after reviewing the sea monsters footage?
Andy Garrett Explains Thoughts After Viewing Sea Monster Video
Question: What did you see in the video?
Andy Garrett Describes Footage
Question: What other types of unexplained creatures have been seen in Florida waters?
Andy Garrett Explains Other Florida Phenomenon
Question: Why are people so fascinated with mystery creature sightings?
Andy Garrett Talks About the Fascination with Cryptozoology
Garrett says he’d like to resolve the situation, because several people in the area are afraid to go in the water. But he says, at this time, his group has no plans to go out and monitor the canal.

The Dinosaur National Monument Quarry Visitor Center remains closed due to safety concerns, preventing paleontologists and other interested individuals from seeing one of the United State's largest and best quarry of dinosaur bones from the Jurassic period.
Around 1,500 dinosaur bones are at the site, along with reconstructions of a juvenile allosaurus and a sauropod.
(Image: Allosaurus skull at the monument; Credit: National Park Service)


The National Park Service explains, "The Quarry Visitor Center has experienced continuing problems with foundation movement since its construction on expansive soils in 1957. The building was closed in July 2006 due to the serious life and safety hazards caused by this movement. The National Park Service (NPS) is working to re-open the famous cliff face of dinosaur bones as quickly as possible."
Even in this lousy economy, a glimmer of hope surfaced this week. The project is said to be receiving more than $13 million in federal stimulus funds. Bids are now being sought for the rebuild, which is predicted to finish in 2011.
The Dinosaur National Monument is located along the border of Utah and Colorado and is 150 miles east of Salt Lake City.
It's still worth the road trip.
"There is a Temporary Visitor Center near the Quarry Visitor Center that contains real fossils and exhibits," according to the NPS. "You can take the Fossil Discovery Hike (approx. 1.5 miles round trip) and see a variety of fossils still embedded in rock."

A ladybug's life isn't always an easy one, according to the following University of Montreal release:
Are ladybugs being overtaken by wasps? A Université de Montréal entomologist is investigating a type of wasp (Dinocampus coccinellae) present in Quebec that forces ladybugs (Coccinella maculata) to carry their larvae. These wasps lay their eggs on the ladybug's body, a common practice in the insect world, yet they don't kill their host.
(Image: schick)


"What is fascinating is that the ladybug is partially paralyzed by the parasite, yet it's eventually released unscathed," says Brodeur, who is also a biology professor and Canada Research Chair in Biocontrol. "Once liberated, the ladybug can continue to eat and reproduce as if nothing happened."
A larva cocoons between the ladybug's legs and moves on once it matures. Brodeur is currently studying the phenomenon at the Université de Montréal Institut de recherche en biologie végétale. He hopes to understand the cycle duration, success rate and the host-parasite relationship.
"Can the ladybug refuse to be used? We don't know. Our plan is to reproduce a variety of situations in the lab and see which is most favourable to reproduction," he says.
Wasps aren't alone in offloading their offspring, stresses Brodeur, since magpies look after the chicks of great spotted cuckoos. The cuckoo visits the nests where it leaves its young and kills those magpies that don't protect their offspring. And a variety of parasite behaviours exist in the insect world, yet the dynamic between the Dinocampus coccinellae and Coccinella maculata is unusual and one Brodeur hopes to better understand.

Most of us have read the works of Charles Darwin, but it's a powerful, more personal experience to see them in his own handwriting. Be sure to check out the Darwin Manuscripts Project site, mentioned in the following American Museum of Natural History press release. The site goes live on November 24, so please keep the provided link in mind. When Charles Darwin labored over word choice while writing On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, he could not have known that one day any student of the humanities and sciences could peer over his shoulder to see him pen the words, “difficulty of highly perfect organs.” On November 24, 2009—to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Origin’s publication—Darwin is going digital. The Darwin Manuscripts Project will place online about 10,000 high-quality images of Darwin’s scientific manuscripts and notes. These pages include 34 of the 36 known and located draft leaves of Origin, gathered together for the first time since Darwin wrote his seminal book.
(Image AMNH)


“These rare manuscript leaves from Origin are the crown jewels of our project and show Darwin in the process of writing,” says David Kohn, Director and General Editor of the Darwin Manuscripts Project at the American Museum of Natural History. Kohn has been editing Darwin for decades, beginning with Darwin’s correspondence and now continuing with the other half of his archive, his scientific papers. This project began in 2005. “I’ve sat in the Cambridge University Library since 1974, touching these documents, but this is the first time that anyone can do this—online in this quantity and with this quality.” His co-editor for the Origin leaves is Randal Keynes, great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin.
The Darwin Manuscripts Project (darwin.amnh.org) is a digital scholarly edition of Darwin’s scientific manuscripts based at the Museum and is carried out in collaboration with Cambridge University Library and the Biodiversity Heritage Library, represented by the Natural History Museum in London. The rare draft sheets from Origin are owned by a number of institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution, the American Philosophical Society, and Cambridge University Library. The Museum also owns one sheet from Chapter 6 of Origin that Kohn finds particularly interesting because this is “where Darwin deals with the difficulties of the theory.”
In addition to the rare Origin drafts, the Darwin Manuscripts Project will also put online about 10,000 additional images of Darwin’s material. Notebooks and scientific writing from the Beagle period through the Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex, published in 1871, will be available with transcriptions and curatorial notations. Examples include the notebooks that chronicle Darwin’s discovery of natural selection, the only extant fair copy sheet of Origin, and drafts from his botanical books, among other items.
The Darwin Manuscripts Project also includes a key to all things Darwin. This is DARBASE (Darwin Union Manuscripts Catalogue), a new, massive, searchable database that tracks the network of knowledge about Darwin’s scientific papers. Developed together with Cambridge University Library, whose collection is the backbone of the database, this new tool will also include the Darwin holdings from all other libraries in the world. Over 60,000 Darwin items and closely-related Darwin material are described in the database in accurate detail.
“This is an extraordinary resource,” says Michael Novacek, Provost of Science at the Museum. “The Darwin Manuscripts Project takes advantage of new technology to bring the fruits of Darwin’s extraordinary mind to a much broader audience, much like the Museum’s 2005 exhibition on Darwinthatbrought his theory, life, and science to the general public.”
Future projects for the Darwin Manuscripts Project include compiling and digitizing additional Darwin manuscripts as well as reconstructing his library. Darwin was famous for reading widely on a variety of subjects ranging from insect-eating plants to pigeon breeding to the immorality of slavery. He would fill margins and inside covers of his books with copious annotations and passionate marks. For example, he wrote on the margin of one of Charles Lyell’s books, in which Lyell proposes that species don’t change beyond a definite limit, “if this be true, adios theory.” Over 700 of his most heavily annotated books are held at Cambridge University Library and will now be reproduced as high-resolution images, and his transcribed marginalia will be digitally available.
“The extensive marginalia preserved in his library reveals Darwin as not simply a curious reader, but an active interrogator, questioning and commenting on the works of Humboldt, Lyell, Spencer, and Agassiz,” says Kohn. “Now with this digitalization project, readers can follow the conversational thread that changed our thinking on the origins of species and gave birth to modern evolutionary science.”
The Darwin Manuscripts Project is funded by two grants from the National Science Foundation, and a new grant from JISC/NEH Transatlantic Digitization Collaboration program will fund the work to digitally reconstruct Darwin’s working library as it stood at the time of his death in 1882.

Are you confused about your pet's diagnosis or treatment or perhaps unsatisfied with your pet's care? It is not uncommon for people to be confused or upset with their pet is sick or injured; as stress may hinder thinking and memory. Here are some tips to facilitate good communication for getting the answers you need, or perhaps finding a new pet care provider.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: Varies
Here's How:

1. Good communication is always a key element for a good relationship. Whenever you have questions about the office protocol, general pet care and sanitation, the diagnosis or treatment plan for your pet, the first thing to do is ASK! If possible, bring a note pad with your questions, and a place to write the answers down. Emotional times such as illness or injury make it very hard to concentrate and "think" about questions and answers.
2. If the problem involves rude behavior from a staff member not directly related to your pet's care or diagnosis, make time to discuss the issue with the office manager or owner veterinarian. It may be a problem that is only experienced by clients, and not known to the staff or owner. A responsible managing staff will want to know about this and make improvements.
3. If presented with a treatment plan that is only one option or too cost-prohibitive, ask your veterinarian if there are other (maybe less "perfect") treatment options available, and if the office offers any type of payment plan or other financial options. This may also be a good time to ask if the veterinarian would be willing to refer the case if it is a difficult or complicated one.
4. After presenting questions and receiving answers, if you are still confused, ask again. Ask new questions to help further understanding. If the veterinarian or staff appear unwilling to work with you, it may be time to seek a second opinion.
5. If you are still comfortable with your veterinarian, ask if they have any recommendations. Otherwise, ask your friends what veterinarian they see, and what their thoughts are. There are additional tips in the "How to Find a Veterinarian" article as well.
6. Once you have located a veterinarian that you would like to review your pet's case and provide a second opinion, you can either collect copies of your pet's record yourself, by calling and requesting that your vet forward them over, or the new veterinarian can call and request the records from the former office on your behalf. Office policies and state laws vary, so check with your state's veterinary board if you have questions about records.
7. At the new veterinary office, try to keep emotion out of your pet's case presentation. This can be difficult at times, but personal feelings about an individual (vet, staff, or practice in general) do nothing to advance your pet's case treatment or diagnosis. What matters most is the physical evaluation, history of clinical signs, laboratory or other case work up, and any previous medications or dietary supplements.
8. Be prepared to pay regular office and work up fees at the new veterinary clinic. You are a new patient, and there are a lot of records to be set up, data entry time, office appointment time scheduled, and so on. Any tests to be run are not at a "discount rate" just because this is a second opinion. Discuss what tests have been already run, in what time frame, and what the priority is for diagnosis -- based on previous work up, with the new veterinarian.
9. After a second work up, the end answer may be the same, different, or not relative to the previous diagnosis. At this time, you may elect to continue with the new vet, or content with the new answers, return to your previous veterinarian. As a client, this is your choice. You are not bound to stay in one practice over another. Go where you feel most comfortable and your pet's needs are taken care of.

Tips:

1. For difficult case referrals: personally, I feel that unless a veterinary practice is a "multi-specialty" general and referral practice, an office that doesn't like to refer or is not open to working with other veterinarians (or a veterinary university) on a difficult case, this may be a warning sign. Some feel that referring clients away may cause them to lose business, but I feel that if your business and service are good, people will come back! This is my personal opinion.
2. Keep calm and as positive as possible when communicating in a difficult situation. Veterinary medicine is by nature emotional, and too much emotion can sometimes inhibit good, useful communication.
3. If there is ever a question of who "owns" records or other legal issues, check the blue pages of the phone book for your state's veterinary licensing boards. They should be able to answer these types of questions relative to local laws or professional misconduct.

Over the weekend I went to a concert that featured, as a guest artist, computer scientist Jaron Lanier. The dreadlocked Lanier helped to create virtual reality and popularized the term. Outside of his technology work, he's interested in early musical instruments, such as rare Asian flutes. He adroitly played a huge, psychedelic-sounding one at the weekend show.

So what does this have to do with animals? I learned that Lanier is bothered by how people are confusing virtual reality with living, breathing life, especially where animals are concerned. A video at YouTube, for example, shows him hoisting up a Sony AIBO dog—a robot canine— and proclaiming, "This is not life!" He adds, "It's a self-serving idea that information systems are life...You destroy your own soul when you buy into it." I would share the video here, but he adds a few choice expletives to make his points.

I've also crossed paths with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. You can read here about some of the animals that he and his wife share their home with and have rescued.
It's clear that many of the architects of technology value wildlife and nature. They spend as much time as possible off of their computers, with their animals and outdoors. Stone, for example, is a vegan who, at least when he lived near me, used to bike to work.
For so many of us who do much of our work online, however, technology can seem to take over our lives. Part of this is economic reality. Work may force you to stay planted in front of a computer for hours, or to have a cell phone glued to your head. That's where Farmville and other diversions come in. They help to break up the work day. Or so I thought.
As my own Farmville farm grew, it took more and more time to maintain. I actually developed an emotional attachment to the cows, goats, sheep, "the ugly duckling," "the lonely kitten," and the other plants and animals. When I closed out the application for good the other day—at least as much as Facebook will erase it— I mourned the wilted crops, the untended animals, and the waving avatar friends.
But real animals and people need my attention more, so goodbye Farmville.

What soap opera or TV thriller hasn't featured murder, conspiracy and suicide? We all know humans are capable of these things, but a new play, "Hominid," puts a twist on the drama by having human actors re-enact such events that took place in a colony of chimpanzees.
The stories are real and were documented by world-renowned Emory University primatologist Frans de Waal in his best-selling book, "Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes."
Dr. de Waal tells me he is very pleased with the play, and notes that audiences won't see any actual chimps. Instead, he explained, "the actors act like chimpified humans!"

Here's a summary of the drama, as provided by Emory:
"A conniving kingmaker and his young protégé conspire to overthrow a popular king. Their plot fails, so they murder him instead. The kingmaker then installs his protégé as ruler. The young king does not properly reward his mentor, however, so the kingmaker selects a new protégé. Together, they torment the young king to the point of madness. He throws himself into the palace moat and drowns.

The brutal power struggle reads like a Shakespearean tragedy, but it actually happened on an island of captive chimpanzees at a Holland zoo during the late 1970s."

Hello everybody! I'm new here and come all the way from Hawaii! Well im posting because I am in need of a larger fish tank for my ever growing fishies! Well coming from the middle of the pacific comes a price and that is pretty much everything is soo much more expensive than on the mainland USA. Well I was just wondering if its possible to ship a large fish tank to Hawaii and if possible how much would it would be?

Mahalos!:happy:

Hi layzied, welcome to the forum!

Glad you could find us Fetch!PetCare!