Is my cat sick?

Food allergies, poor diet or eats too fast. Change the food and give her smaller quantities more times.

Dogs that are most likely to suffer from sunburn are white dogs, hairless dogs, thin haired  and dogs with light colored fur. Their risk of dog sunburn and skin cancer in dogs is increased if they are not properly cared for by putting sunscreen on them. Just like us, dogs can get sunburned, too, and suffer from pain, peeling and skin cancer. Certain breeds can be particularly susceptible including 

Staffordshire Terriers, Boxers, Bull Terriers, German Shorthaired Pointers and Pit Bulls, to name a few. 

Put a dog sunscreen on before your dog goes outside – especially if your dog will be spending a lot of time out in the sun. It should be applied on your dog’s nose, belly, ears, and groin. Any spot that is normally “pink” on your dog.  Avoid using dog sunscreen around the eyes.

Keep your dog indoors during the hottest part of the day.That generally means from 10AM to 3PMand applies year-round – because sun exposure is sun exposure, regardless of whether it’s summer or winter. If your dog is in the backyard for long periods of time, make sure to provide some shade.

If your dog does happen to become sunburned, 100 per cent pure Aloe Vera gel is the best way to quickly and easily soothe your dog’s skin.

 

Use a squirrel proof feeder – This is probably the most effective way to keep a squirrel out of your feeders. Many of the best squirrel proof feeders are weight-sensitive, so that if a squirrel tries to sit on them, the feeder closes and the squirrel cannot get at the food. Other squirrel proof birdfeeder designs include feeders that are surrounded by a metal cage. These allow smaller animals, like birds to get through, but not larger ones. The metal cages are not quite as effective as the weight sensitive due to the fact that squirrels can and will wiggle their way into anything. Use a squirrel collar – Putting a cone-like collar on the post that the birdfeeder sits on or on the chain that the birdfeeder hangs from can help to deter squirrels from your bird food. But squirrels can find a way around this if they have a location nearby where they can jump from onto the birdfeeder.

Use a slippery post – If your bird feeders are sitting on wood posts, consider changing them to a metal or PVC pole. These materials make it hard for the squirrel to climb and, therefore, the squirrel will have a more difficult time getting to the food. For added protection, grease the pole with vegetable oil to make it extra slippery.

Photic headshaking syndrome produces a very unique behavior. The horse spontaneously jerks or flips its head without any obvious stimuli. The repetitive action seems involuntary, much like an uncontrollable tic in a human.

Horses thought to suffer from photic headshaking syndrome deserve a complete evaluation from an equine vet to rule out any other causes. But once the diagnosis has been made, it can be a frustrating undertaking to extinguish the behavior. Because bouts of sneezing can accompany the onset of the behavior, antihistamines are often tried at first, just in case the horse is suffering from a seasonal allergy. Anecdotally, some horse owners have found improvement by keeping a fly mask on their horse as a sort of sunscreen. Indeed, there appears to be a relationship between sunlight and the headshaking behavior, hence the word photic (meaning “light”) in the malady’s name. With some lucky horses, the compulsive headshaking spontaneously disappears with a change of seasons. 

Unfortunately, there are other horses whose headshaking progresses to a year-round obsession. Their headshaking behavior renders them virtually unrideable. With a dedicated equine vet and a patient owner, however, most horses diagnosed with photic headshaking syndrome can be made comfortable and remain useful.