Title:

Description: Dunn’s Fish Truck will stop at Jack’s Town & Country the afternoon of Saturday, July 30, 2011  from 3-4 PM.

Place your orders with Dunn’s Fish Farm – 508-777-2202.
Date: 2011-07-30
Time: 3:00 – 4:00 PM

Have a great 4th!

Great article from Purina Better Animals.

Just like their human companions, dogs and cats enjoy the carefree and playful summer months.

During the days when the temperature and humidity soars, you need to take special care to keep your pets safe and comfortable. Due to their limited ability to keep cool, pets can become overheated quickly. Overheating can result in heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even death.

The following tips will aid in keeping your beloved companions happy and healthy throughout the summer months and help them “keep their cool” as the mercury rises.

• Never leave pets in a parked car in summer, even with windows partially open. The temperature inside a parked car rises very quickly and can kill a pet in less than 10 minutes!

• Avoid vigorous exercise during the heat of the day. Take dogs out in the early morning or evening hours when the heat is not so intense. Stop and let your dog drink often while exercising. Remember, hot asphalt can seriously burn the pads of their feet.

• Pets that are older, overweight, long- or thick-coated and dogs with short muzzles are at great risk for overheating. They’ll be safest and happiest in an air-conditioned environment in hot weather.

• Outdoor pets should always have plenty of cool, fresh water to drink and a safe, shaded area to retreat to. Make sure water is kept in a tip-proof bowl. If possible, bring outside pets indoors on very hot or humid days.

• Signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion may include heavy panting or drooling, unsteadiness, glazed eyes, rapid pulse, a deep red or purple tongue, vomiting and loss of consciousness. Seek veterinary care immediately.

• Your pet’s coat helps insulate him from the heat as well as protect against sunburn. Clipping or shaving pets too close in an effort to keep them cool can actually result in LESS protection. If you choose to give your pet a summer cut, keep it to a one-inch length and never shave down to the skin.

• If your dog isn’t on heartworm medication, have her tested, then put her on a prevention program. Mosquitoes, plentiful in summer, can carry heartworm larvae and infect your pet.

• Flea bites can cause severe itching and allergic reactions, and ingestion of fleas can result in tapeworms! Ticks carry diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever and can cause anemia. Your veterinarian can recommend a good flea and tick control program. Remember that pests are far easier to prevent than to get rid of.

• Always equip your pet with identification. I.D. tags are helpful but must be worn at all times. Tattoo or microchip methods are very effective in helping to recover lost pets.

• Keep lawn chemicals and automotive fluids out of reach of pets to prevent accidental poisoning.

Taking simple precautions will go a long way in keeping your pet safe during the lazy days of summer.

COLLEGE STATION – Saving valuable landscapes – even successfully adding some new plants – depends on the length of one’s hose and depth of one’s commitment, according to a Texas AgriLife Extension Service gardening expert.

“It’s the season. People are going to want to plant,” said Jayla Fry, AgriLife Extension Master Gardener program assistant in College Station. “ By all means, go for it.

During a drought, the use of drip irrigation and mulch can help sustain landscapes. (Texas AgriLife Research photo by Kathleen Phillips)

“But at the same time you have to realize that during times of a major drought like this, you’re going to have to add the water,” she said. “So it’s an expense that one has to weigh out when adding to the landscape.”

Fry said existing plants – from flowers to shrubs to trees – also need special care during the drought to stay healthy and last until rain returns.

“A couple of things to consider in a drought are lawns and trees,” Fry said. “With lawns of course, they need to be protected with supplemental irrigation. So about once a week you’re going to want to add about an inch of water. Bermuda grass is a little more drought tolerant than St. Augustine, so it is more forgiving.”

Trees are a higher investment for property owners and should be watered during a drought to keep them from dying.

“You’re going to want to protect trees and how you do that is with your water hose,” she said.

Fry suggested that a water hose be turned on until it produces a pencil-sized flow. Place the running hose at the drip-line, or the edge of its canopy, and move the water around the tree every 15 minutes until the ground is completely soaked.

“You need to do this every two weeks, even when the rains come again,” she said. “The trees will need the extra water to recoup from this prolonged drought.”

For flower beds, Fry said, the soil is an indicator of whether water is needed.

“If it is cool to the touch, then you’re OK,” she said. “But especially with the wind and the drought conditions, you’re going to want to supplement with irrigation. Shrubs will need between the amount of water that you add to your lawn and the amount that you add to your trees.”

Adding mulch, she noted, will maintain soil moisture and reduce soil temperatures, which helps plants survive a drought.

“And of course, by adding mulch you get the benefit of cutting down on weeds in your flower bed. So mulch can be a great help during drought periods,” Fry noted.

http://agrilife.org/today/2011/05/09/landscape-drought-tips/

“Heat and humidity affect the horse, and with intense exercising, the excess heat has difficulty dissipating,” notes Dr. Glennon Mays, clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.

“Heat is a normal by-product of working muscles and increases during periods of increased exercise,” explains Mays.  “Normally a horse cools itself by sweating which causes heat loss and thus its body cools as sweat evaporates from the skin’s surface.”

When humidity is high, less moisture can evaporate from the skin surface.  Therefore the surface blood vessels will enlarge to help rid the horse’s body of excess heat.

“Overheating, or hyperthermia in the horse is due to a disturbance in the heat regulating mechanism of the horse’s body,” says Mays.  “In addition to summer heat and humidity, poor stable ventilation, prolonged exposure to sun, extreme exercise, transportation/trailering stress, as well as excess weight and poor conditioning may contribute to overheating.”

“If your horse does become overheated, move the horse to a shady area or to a cool, well-ventilated barn.  Then spray with cool water and place ice packs on the horse’s head and large blood vessels on the neck and the inside of its legs,” states Mays.  “Be careful to not spray the horse’s face or get water in its ears; just sponge these areas gently.”

Horses naturally tend to “cool out” while walking rather than standing still, notes Mays.  Therefore, application of ice packs can be challenging.

Allow the horse to have several swallows of cool, clean, fresh water every few minutes.  There is a possibility of colic if your horse drinks large quantities of water in a short period of time. 

“To help your horse beat the heat, provide plenty of fresh, cool water,” notes Mays.  “Keep water bucket or trough clean to promote drinking.  Average size work horses can consume over 25 gallons of water per day when the temperature is above 70 degrees.”

Limit strenuous riding to late evening or early morning when the temperature is lower.  Use less tack in the hot summer by minimizing saddle pads and leg boots.  Also clip your horse’s coat and keep its mane and tail trimmed.

Heat stroke can happen to horses whether they are working hard, standing in stifling stables, or traveling in unventilated trailers, notes Mays.  Call a veterinarian and take immediate action if your horse has elevated respiration or pulse (in an inactive horse), body temperature above 103 degrees, or irregular heart beat.

“Do the skin pinch test to check your horse’s hydration,” says Mays.  Test for dehydration by pinching the skin along the horse’s neck.  The skin should snap back quickly.  If the pinched area collapses slowly the horse is dehydrated.

Hot weather does require that you give your horse special care.  But, you and your horse can lessen summer’s hot days when you practice these cool tips to beat the heat.

 This article is from:

PET TALK

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University.  Stories can be viewed on the Web @ http://tamunews.tamu.edu

- Offer water in adequate quantity for the number and type of animals on your property.
- At least two feet of accessible linear water space is needed per 10 head of cattle.

- Make sure that watering devices are spaced appropriately and located away from stream banks.

- Watering devices should be easily accessible by animals.- Strategic placement of watering devices can influence grazing, compaction and nutrient deposition patterns.
- Avoid using pond water as a drinking source if possible.  Recent research has shown that heifers with access to water pumped from a well or spring gained 23 percent more weight than heifers drinking pond water.
- Clean watering devices frequently.
- Test the water on your property for contaminants.  Your county extension agent or beef cattle consultant can help you develop a testing plan and identify an appropriate laboratory.