Hello, My name is "Potato" and I am Pet of the Month!
My name is "Potato" and I'm a sweet Red nose Pit bull. I have been rescued from "Cammies & Canines",a Veteran owned non-profit dog rescue. I am survived from next a day Death Row Dog. I am a sweet gentleman enjoying life, without cold cement floors and bars. I love to snuggle and snore, while I howl with joy when my pet parents come home from work and to be a couch potato.!
Mr. Potato loves life !!!
February 2020 Pet Holidays
February focuses on responsible pet care, pet health and the all-important task of spaying/neutering our pets. This month also includes Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, which, as a dog walker, I will certainly be celebrating.
- Pet Dental Health Month
- Dog Training Education Month
- National Cat Health Month
- Responsible Pet Owners Month
- National Prevent a Litter Month
- Spay/Neuter Awareness Month (“Beat the Heat” month)
- Adopt a Rescued Rabbit Month
- Feb. 2: Hedgehog Day (and Groundhog Day)
- Feb. 7–14: Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Week
- Feb. 11–12: Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
- Feb. 14: Pet Theft Awareness Day
- Feb. 20: Love Your Pet Day
- Feb. 22: National Walk Your Dog Day
- Feb. 23: International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day
- Feb. 23–29: National Justice for Animals Week
- Feb. 25: Spay Day USA/World Spay Day
Care Tips for Horses
What is colic?
Colic indicates a painful problem in your horse’s abdomen. Because colic is often unpredictable and frequently unpreventable, it’s a common concern for horse owners. Horses are naturally prone to colic. Fortunately, over 80 percent of colic types respond well to treatment on the farm.
Signs of colic in your horse
A colicky horse will commonly bite at its side and roll.
- Frequently looking at their side.
- Biting or kicking their flank or belly.
- Lying down and/or rolling.
- Little or no passing of manure.
- Fecal balls smaller than usual.
- Passing dry or mucus (slime)-covered manure.
- Poor eating behavior, may not eat all their grain or hay.
- Change in drinking behavior.
- Heart rate over 45 to 50 beats per minute.
- Tacky gums.
- Long capillary refill time.
- Off-colored mucous membranes.
Caring for the colicky horse
Because colic is often unpredictable and frequently unpreventable, it’s a common concern for horse owners.
Please click on a link below to see more information!
What to do if your horse colics
Erin Malone, doctor of veterinary medicine
The Best Boredom Busters To Keep Your Chickens Busy!
While chickens are quite creative when it comes to keeping themselves entertained - free-ranging is their forte! In the winter months, when the days are shorter and there aren’t as many exciting bugs, weeds and grasses to peck at, chickens can become bored. And bored chickens are definitely not happy chickens.
When chickens have little to keep them amused, they will often turn to pecking at themselves and one another - an unhealthy habit that can cause feather loss, injury and animosity among your chicken flock.
Bored chickens are also more likely to engage in egg eating, another bad habit that you can read about, and learn how to discourage here.
While treats may seem like the answer, over spoiling our girls with goodies isn’t great for their health, but luckily there are plenty of other ways you can keep your chickens brains busy and buzzing without their bellies over bulging.
Bales of Hay or Straw
Putting a bale or pile of straw or hay in the chicken coop or run will keep your girls entertained for hours - they are not a fan of piles! Watch as they scratch and peck at the straw searching for insects, seeds and other hidden goodies until there is a pile no more.
Make a Pinata
No, not filled with lollies - these pinatas are of the healthy kind and are super easy to make! First, choose your ‘pinata’ of choice, some of our favourites are cabbage, cauliflower or broccoli, and use twine to hang it in the coop. Dodging and pecking at the pinata will be a fun game for your flock, and provide them with a healthy boost of greens!
Get a Chicken Swing
For the chicken who has everything, the chicken swing is a welcome addition to your chicken coop, and will keep both you and your flock amused for hours on end. Swinging back and forth is a delight for your chickens and a great activity to help combat boredom. Backyard Chicken Coops sell a great quality chicken swing online here.
Add a Mirror to Your Chicken Run
Chickens take pride in their appearance, and will revel in having a mirror handy so they can check themselves out. You will find your girls pecking, squawking and prancing around in front of it time and time again. The mirror can be of any shape or size, just be sure that it is secured firmly in place so your girls don’t accidentally knock it over when they are fighting over their precious preening time. If you have a rooster, a mirror isn’t such a great idea - they do not take too kindly to having another cockerel in their flock.
Make a Chook Crumble
If your girls are deserving of a treat, a Chook Crumble is the answer. It will provide them with a mix of treats and nutritious ingredients alike, as well as giving them something to peck at rather than one another. Making your own Chook Crumble is really simple too, check out our Chook Crumble recipe here - feel free to add or omit ingredients as you please to appeal to your chickens taste buds!
Extra Perches
We already know how much chickens adore their perches, using them for peace and quiet as well as play. Adding extra perches outside will allow your girls to get a different perspective of the great outdoors, helping to keep them amused in times of boredom. If you want to get really creative, use pieces of wood, branches or even ladders to make your girls their own jungle gym- boredom is sure to be a thing of the past!
Virulent Newcastle Disease Notice
The regional quarantine is still in effect.
For a list of virulent Newcastle disease cases since the outbreak began in May 2018, visit the USDA VND website.
Virulent Newcastle Disease (vND)
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January 29, 2020
Virulent Newcastle Disease Update from State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones
Many southern California residents may be wondering why their local feed and pet stores do not have chicks for sale this spring. While virus levels in the region are greatly reduced, VND continues to impact backyard flocks inside the regional quarantine area, as evidenced by the detection of more than 20 new cases this winter. DNA from these recent cases suggests they are all related, most likely from a single source with further spread due to bird movement, lax biosecurity, and commingling at feed and pet stores.
Feed and pet stores provide a critical infrastructure for bird owners. Not only are they a source of feed, equipment and birds, they are also a gathering place for like-minded people where information and experiences can be shared. Unfortunately, this foot traffic also means that some customers may be carrying the virus on their shoes or clothing. When a store with this type of foot traffic also houses poultry, it gives the virus a chance to find a new host and become even more infectious. Keeping poultry, including baby chicks, out of these important community businesses will help the region become VND free.
The best defense against the virus is to continue practicing good biosecurity.
- DO NOT MOVE YOUR BIRDS
- Disinfect and change shoes and clothes before and after handling your birds
- Do not wear clothes and shoes used with your flock to places with poultry or other bird owners
- Wash hands thoroughly
- Do not handle birds while at feed or pet stores
- Disinfect anything purchased at the store before introducing it to your flock (feeders, waters, etc.)
Be aware of the signs of VND in your flock and report any sick birds to the CDFA Sick Bird Hotline (1-866-922-2473) right away.
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December 23, 2019
Virulent Newcastle Disease Update from State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones
Over the past month, Virulent Newcastle disease cases have increased because people have violated the CDFA VND Regional Quarantine by moving infected birds or contaminated equipment and secondary spread to neighboring flocks. We now have 20 new cases under investigation, all linked to the recent Bloomington area outbreak. Most of the cases are in San Bernardino County, with two in Riverside County and one in Los Angeles County. Backyard flocks as well as retail pet/feed stores are involved.
Based on phylogenetic analysis and epidemiologic studies, we understand how the disease spreads in Southern California. This highly contagious virus has been spread when people move exposed birds or equipment, or when people carry the virus to their own unfortunate flock on their hands and feet. It moves long distances as people illegally move birds or equipment. When introduced to a new area, it is amplified as the previously uninfected poultry succumb until the environmental virus load is so great, the outbreak spreads from yard to yard. Exposed poultry around a newly infected flock are the “virus amplifiers,” particularly just before they show signs of disease.
Put simply, your birds can spread the disease before they show symptoms, so the only way to stop it is to not move birds – period – if you are in the CDFA Regional Quarantine Area.
As a reminder, last year the disease was spread from San Bernardino to LA and Riverside counties and beyond, leading to widespread highly infected areas, infected poultry farms, the death of over 1.2 million birds, and significant financial and emotional strain on poultry owners and disease control agencies.
We need your help to stop the spread of this virus and end this outbreak. Specific actions you can take to protect the poultry in your community are on the CDFA VND website in our biosecurity videos, guidance documents and links, but general keys to success include:
- DO NOT move poultry or poultry equipment within the VND Regional Quarantine without a CDFA permit.
- DO NOT let anyone with birds near your poultry.
- DO NOT accidentally bring this virus home to your flock on your clothes, hands, feet or equipment.
Please work together to ensure we do not see this outbreak grow as it did in 2018. Stopping the spread will take the combined effort of all bird owners. Talk to your neighbors and friends.
Keep Southern California safe for poultry!
January 13, 2020
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
January 8, 2020
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 26, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 26, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 26, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 21, 2019
Riverside
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 21, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 21, 2019
Los Angeles
Retail feed store
December 19, 2019
Riverside
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 19, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 19, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 18, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 16, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 16, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 11, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
December 11, 2019
San Bernardino
Backyard exhibition chickens
It is important to note that any bird movement within a quarantined area is prohibited by law and violators are subject to fines ranging from $100 to $1,000, or up to $25,000 if a violator is proven to have moved the virus.
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Attention: The United States Postal Service (USPS) is not allowing shipments of live birds (all) or hatching/embryonated eggs into or out of zip codes 90000-93599 in California. For more information: https://postalpro.usps.com/node/6643
The modified quarantine extends from the Northern and Southern borders of western Riverside County to the Salton Sea—including the Coachella Valley—and as far east as Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County, with a Northern boundary of State Route 58 at the Kern County line.
Unfortunately, even birds and flocks that previously tested negative, but now fall within a designated mandatory euthanasia area, must be euthanized. USDA/CDFA staff will contact affected bird owners with orders specific to their property.
The disease put California on a quarantine, keeping businesses from buying new chickens, leaving cages empty. The incident, according to CDFA, started May of 2018.
Symptoms owners should look out for:
- Sudden death and increased death loss in flock;
- Sneezing, gasping for air, nasal discharge, coughing;
- Greenish, watery diarrhea;
- Decreased activity, tremors, drooping wings, twisting of head and neck, circling, complete stiffness; and
- Swelling around the eyes and neck.
The disease does not affect meat humans consume. People can catch the disease through touching a chicken's bodily fluids, and a person could come down with mild flu symptoms
To report any sick birds, San Diegans are asked to immediately call the Sick Bird Hotline, 866-922-2473."