A friend indeed

Is it important for children to have a pet?

Not only do pets teach children many life skills, they are also wonderful friends. Along with responsibility for a pet comes the building of self-confidence.

Learning about the needs for exercising for pets to stay healthy helps children apply the same concepts to their own well-being. Pets tend to bring about a sense of calm for children. Some youngsters are more relaxed around their pets than other humans. Like adults, children turn to their pets when they are feeling sad, angry or otherwise upset.

Magically, pets will bring peace to the situation and provide their humans with unconditional love. There are many life skills children learn as a result of caring for another being and committing to the responsibility. Children become more disciplined, smarter and sensitive according to all scientitic studies. They also make many more friends.

My security guard says, drenching his dog in kerosene healed his skin disease. Is this possible?

If a pet is exposed to kerosene, which is a hydrocarbon, he may experience vomiting, drooling, eye and skin irritation, and difficulties breathing. Pets may also go into a coma, depending on the amount of kerosene involved. And that's why veterinarians never recommend kerosene baths.

It's pretty much a given that whenever an industrial-grade fluid touches naked skin, the results will always be unpleasant. This includes dumping the stuff on a dog with a skin problem.

But what would happen if you pour motor oil all over your dog? For starters, there's always the severe rashes that will result due to skin irritation.

It will also cause extensive skin damage, because your dog's skin will absorb all the toxic chemicals from the motor oil.

That's all just on the surface too, but it gets much worse than that. When a dog absorbs the oil through the skin, it penetrates the body and affects the internal system as well. Obviously, this causes a whole new host of problems, such as drastic changes in the blood pressure, along with severe kidney and liver damage.

Dogs love to lick and bite themselves all over. If they follow their instincts and proceed to lick their own skin after being coated with motor oil it may lead them to swallow it, and the oil will induce vomiting, which in turn will introduce some of the oil into the lungs. This subsequently gives them pneumonia.

Over fifty years ago, such a remedy was used for both humans and animals.

(Views expressed and information provided are personal. Send your questions to manekaanimallove@gmail.com)