A few years ago, before I decided to stay home with my kids, I worked as a veterinarian technician in an animal hospital. While at that job I saw so many clients who would bring in their dog and be upset because they had eaten something in the house, other than food, and were now sick. One client brought in her chocolate lab that had gotten into her sewing box and eaten a pincushion, pins and all!!! Off to surgery the dog went and the owner was out about $1,500. Case number two was a giant poodle that, while the owner was away, got into her closet and ate a pair of panty hose. Unfortunately this dog did not make it through surgery. The pantyhose got wrapped around its intestines and the doctor was not able to save the dog.

The above stories are a couple of really good reasons why you should crate train your puppy or dog, especially if you have a dog who likes to chew or eat things they should not be eating.

By putting your puppy or dog in a crate you are giving them a sense of security and a place they can call their own. Dogs actually like having a “den” to cuddle up in. By putting the dog in a crate while you are gone it will also give you peace of mind knowing that they are in a safe place, away from harm, and not doing any damage to your belongings or themselves.

Crate training will also help with potty training. Make sure you put your pet on a regular schedule for potty breaks and use the crate when you are gone or need your pet to rest. Dogs will typically not “go” in their home. They like to keep it clean and will hold it until you can take them outside to eliminate. Remember to always praise your pet when he eliminates in the area you want him to outside.

Puppies have very small bladders so they cannot physically hold it for very long. I would suggest that you take the puppy out every two hours. As puppies get older, naturally they will gain the bladder control and be able to hold it longer. Eventually this time should increase to 8 hours or more.

Another thing to consider when purchasing a crate is to make sure that you buy a crate big enough to accommodate the full growth of your pet. When your pet is a puppy and you are crate training, make sure that the crate has a divider panel. You can adjust the placement of the divider panel so that the puppy does not have full use of the crate thus creating the “den” feeling that will make your dog feel comfortable and cozy. In this situation the dog will not want to go in its den and will keep the area clean. If you give the puppy the full area of the crate it may be too large and the dog will make one area of the crate his potty area and the other area as his sleeping area. Adjust the divider panel so that the dog has enough area to get up and stretch but not enough room to eliminate.

Crate training your puppy or dog is just a smart thing to do for you and your pet. It will give you the sense of security and peace knowing that your pet is not getting in harms way while you are away.

About the Author: Jenny Saylor is the owner of a website, CratesPlus.com, which sells quality dog crates and accessories to improve your life and the life of your pet.

Source: www.isnare.com

So what does it mean to float a horse’s teeth? I’m sure you’ve heard this a time or two (if you haven’t, sooner or later you will from another horse owner or from your vet), and if you’re like me, you imagined for the longest time what this could possibly mean and wondered what it involved.

To float a horse’s teeth certainly sounds funny, too.

Floating means to smooth or contour your horse’s teeth with a file (called a “float”). Unlike your own teeth, your horse’s teeth keep growing. At times, your horse’s teeth may develop sharp edges, making it difficult for her to chew food, hold a bit, or simply have pain and discomfort inside her mouth.

An adult horse may have between 36-44 permanent teeth. And just like humans, your horse gets two sets of teeth in her lifetime. Your horse starts out with temporary baby teeth and by age five, will most likely have her full set of permanent teeth.

The horse’s front teeth cut hay and grass, while the top and bottom cheek teeth grind the forage between the flat surfaces in a sideways motion. This grinding action breaks down the food into a pulp before swallowing which helps it to be digested better. If your horse is unable to grind down food all the way due to uneven teeth surfaces, the unchewed food will not be digested as well.

Most often, points develop on the upper cheek teeth toward the outside of the mouth next to your horse’s cheek. And on the bottom cheek teeth toward the inside of the mouth next to your horse’s tongue. These points can then cut into the cheek and tongue making your horse uncomfortable.

Though it may seem tedious and like a burden, you know having routine dentist check-ups contribute to the overall good health of your own teeth. Well, your horse is no different and deserves some of the same attention to her teeth as you give to yours. Confined horses or those that do not have the ability to graze all day are more prone to teeth overgrowth, as they are not naturally grinding their teeth all day to keep them smooth. Also, just like you, your horse can have other dental problems. A horse can have excessively worn teeth, loose or broken teeth, or infected gums.

One sign that your horse’s teeth may need to be floated is if she is consistently dropping food from her mouth and you start seeing signs of weight loss. Your horse may also exhibit behavior like head-tossing or opening her mouth frequently.

Possible horse dental problem indicators:

• Drops food from her mouth
• Exhibits difficulty in chewing
• Excessive salivation
• Loss of weight
• Undigested food particles in manure
• Head-tossing
• Excessive bit chewing
• Resisting having the bridle put on
• Difficult handling while riding
• Mouth odor
• Blood in the mouth
• Face swelling
• Nasal discharge

Because horses are adaptable creatures, even if they are having discomfort, some do not show any signs of dental problems. So don’t assume that if there are no symptoms, there are no problems.

Sharp teeth edges can hurt the inside of your horse’s mouth causing pain and creating sores on her tongue or cheeks. Your horse may show resistance when riding due to added pain from the bit pressing against the sores.

The vet or equine dentist will carefully file all your horse’s teeth that need smoothing to achieve a flat grinding surface between the upper and lower teeth. Having your horse’s teeth floated is well worth it so she digests her food better, is in better spirits, and makes riding more enjoyable for you both.

How often floating is necessary varies quite a bit from one horse to another. Some horses seem to have slower-growing teeth and may require floating only once every several years while others may require floating every few months. Even if your horse does not require her teeth to be floated often, it is still a good idea to have her teeth and gums examined once a year.

The procedure the vet typically uses to float your horse’s teeth is to first sedate your horse to make her relaxed. A special halter is put on with a rope thrown over a ceiling rafter or the equivalent in order to hold your horse’s head up. A mouth speculum is used to keep your horse’s mouth open. The vet will then either manually file your horse’s teeth using a rasp in a back and forth motion to flatten the high points, or may use a power tool. The whole procedure is quick and painless - taking about 15 to 20 minutes to complete.

If you’re like me, you cringe at the thought of someone filing away on your teeth with a rasp. You can imagine the shooting pain from the nerves in your teeth. Personally, the dentist can’t give me enough Novocain to make me feel comfortable before poking around or drilling in my mouth.

Unlike us, a horse’s nerves end close to the gumline, so there is no nerve where the tooth is being worked on, and therefore does not feel any nerve pain. We humans should be so lucky.

About the Author

Randall Holman, site owner of Front Range Frenzy and horse enthusiast, is the author of the above article. You will find other easy and practical basic horse care information on his website: http://www.FrontRangeFrenzy.com

Flea control can be a very hard thing to do especially if you live in areas where fleas are largely populated. Weather has a lot to do with fleas and trying to keep them outdoors and off of your pets can be very changeling.

You can try many of the products available to rid your pets of fleas and then find that you still have the problem. Fleas will lay their eggs in your carpet and on furniture and bedding that your pet happens to lie on.

The first step in flea control is to rid your pet of these blood sucking pests. Talk with your veterinarian to find out the best products available. You can have your pet dipped; buy flea collars, and other products that will eliminate the fleas from your pet.

Now, that your pet is flea free, how do you get rid of the fleas inside your home? You should now vacuum your entire home including any furniture that your pet has laid on. Once you vacuumed, be sure to throw the vacuum cleaner bag out immediately. The bag is probably full of fleas and you do not want to take the chance of them somehow finding their way out of the vacuum. If your pet has a pet bed, wash it completely or discard it and buy a new one. Any other bedding, towels, and rugs that your pet has been on also need to be cleaned.

Sometimes, the above steps may not be enough to rid your home of fleas. You may need to invest in an insecticide that can be used on carpets, baseboards, and cracks. Fleas can hide in very small places and if you have one flea, soon you will have many. Before using any type of insecticide, talk with your veterinarian to be sure that it is safe to use around your pet. You do not want your pet to ingest any type of toxic chemicals that could make them sick.

About the Author

Niall Kennedy
http://www.pet-medication-supplies.net
Pet Medication Supplies can help you get the best possible protection for your pet. Advantix, Arthramine, Cosequin, Frontline, Heartgard - find the best deals in pet medication for flea and tick control, arthritis and lyme disease. Upto 50% discount everyday on brand names.

World wide web based gaming webpages are in the main regulated by means of 3 governing bodies. These are the OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (the FTGA). sports betting casino online

The Offshore Gaming Association is an independent watchdog authority that currently supervises the thriving overseas sports betting business, they strive to also present the populace a way to to quickly locate worthy websites to play gambling games with. The OSGA seeks to assure consumer’s rights, additionally they charge no yearly expenses. The agency is a proficient and neutral third party association which formulates equitable points of view, based around your feedback, objective examination, telephone chats, prompts and to supply industry information.

The IGC are a non-profit-making agency. The agency was designed to allow an arena for concerned individuals to discuss controversies moreover to improve collective matters in the multinational interactive gambling trade, in an effort to establish scrupulous not to mention duty-bound commercial codes and forms which aim to enhance client faith in interactive sports gaming merchandise and utilities, and to aid as the overseas gambling trade’s inclusive policy advocate and the council also operates as a data base of operations.

The IGC have developed a distinction for promoting honor, candor and in addition solidity due to the strict criteria it demands, and in addition its appeal for commercial enterprises of scrupulous practise. The IGC influences offshore gambling by advancing an extraordinary ten-point set of rules and bills sports gambling sites fees for the use of the council’s logo. Displeased bettors can additionally report any of their divergences of opinion to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The Fidelity Trust Gaming Association was set up in an attempt to construct a benchmark which will raise the actions of on-line sports gambling web sites. The agency think that doing business only with websites of good reputation, they are able to put together a union of the fairest and most professional cyberspace gambling companies internationally. There are agencies which govern the practises of live gambling and which should function to take the sting out of any uneasiness due to the apprehension experienced by detractors. Machine-accessible sports gambling web sites are at present altogether dependable, due to the fact that private data should not be needed and in addition the returns and the gaming odds should be equivalent to a standard Vegas-style bet. These web sites lower travel costs, but still maintain the spirit of a Vegas-style gaming web site, but these days you can gamble at your desk.

Little Kingdoms of the Amazon

In the Amazon
there are kingdoms
breathing, eating
roaming about
in perfect harmony
(insects and birds,
monkeys and wildcats
and macho black ants!)
that is why the
Amazon
is never quiet

it’s those foot-steps,
moving all night
and all daylong!

#1225 2/20/06

Notes by Rosa: Here are three more poems of the Amazon, and I can remember all those happenings, just the way Dennis put them, the excitment we had in the pond area with the big lily pads, and the pink dolphins, we never knew were there were, until we saw them; such things in the Amazon make it all worth while being there; and that lily pad, I could have had lunch on it I do believe, there were many of course.The Amazon is like no other world, a world unto itself. Rosa
Giant Lily-pads of the Amazon

Giant Lily-pads in the water!
Slim, green, one after the other

Hidden in a pond, somewhere
In the Amazon, a friendly place

Inches apart, they lie hot and lazy
On the waters, shapes looking

(all afternoon sky-ward for sun)

My wife is small, a Peruvian,
I’m thinking, she could fit on one;

That might or might not be to
Her liking

The sun eases: breeze comes
We have to back the boat out

I wonder if they’ve lived here for
Centuries [?]; like elephant ears….

#1227 2/20/06

Pink Dolphins of the Amazon

She tossed water about our boat.
Splashed water on my throat.

She moves swifter than the wind;
The pink dolphins of the Amazon….

Swimming low, high, scouting the river,
Summoning whoever is nearby;

My wife and I see a long arched fish
Pinkjumping like a spring:

Lifting from the water so all can see,
The beauty of her sleek and pink body.

And back down she flops, headfirst,
Onto, into the waters, kissing the top.

#1226 2/20/06

See Dennis’ web site: http://dennissiluk.tripod.com

How would you like the chance to use the skills you learnt decades ago… if you could find the right kind of practical challenge? You can you know.
Not all that many years ago, just about every home had a backyard shed or workshop; the shed was a special place which the practical man about the house could call his own.

The shed was a place where special projects could be built, & much tinkering was done. Heck, even some great inventions were born in the humble backyard shed.

The back shed was also a place where father & son relationships
can be cemented into a true lifelong bond.
Show me a father that wouldn’t like to spend a few hours together with his teenage son on a Saturday afternoon building and working together on a special project.

In this day of over sanitised lifestyles, men are searching for interesting hobbies that are challenging & rewarding.
An absorbing hobby can help you to relax, & provide immense personal achievement, and help to divert your thoughts from the pressures of day-to-day work.

Rekindling those old practical skills learnt years ago just takes a bit of revision and practice… and before you know it, it all comes flowing back to you.

Hobby metal casting may be just the hobby that many are looking for.

Metal casting enables the home engineer to create many things which could be used for:

>> Making things for special projects.

>> Antique restorations.

>> Vintage car & motorcycle parts.

>> Rebuilding old workshop machines & tools.

In fact the list is practically endless, such is the extent of things that can be made by the creative person.

Right now, you know, there are people all over the globe who are learning “The How To” of Back Yard Metal Casting, or hobby metal casting for want of a better word.
But you need to take your time to learn and understand the many
practical aspects of the craft.

Metal Casting is not for everyone, it’s hot dirty work, and you’re also dealing with the potentially dangerous substance of molten metal.

To the uninitiated, this could be a terrifying aspect of a hobby, but with the proper safety procedures & protective apparel available, it is not difficult to safeguard oneself against any injury. And of course commonsense plays an important part also.
Adhere to the commonsense safety rules; be vigilant of things around you, and accidents should not happen.

To find out more about metal casting, you’ll need to source the right information to get you started, one of the quickest ways to gather subject information is by downloading ebooks from content rich web sites.

You need to search for ebooks that are written for the every day
person to easily understand and apply the methods and techniques
shown.

Even after you buy the ebooks, the help should not stop there, you should be able to ask questions via email about any problems that you might be having.

Email support is an important part of the learning process… very few ebook publishers provide this backup service, and you most likely Won’t find a traditional print book publisher giving this kind of service either.

With a little practice & guidance, it won’t take you all that long before you will become confident and be able to produce good sand moulds & castings.

So many novice metal casters seek foundry information from all over the web and at times the info is so vague and incomplete, It’s a wonder how the budding hobby foundry worker could ever hope to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Metal casting skills will allow you to remake: vintage or veteran car & motorcycle parts, art castings, your own special projects, or you can just cast metal for fun.

You do need a desire to learn, as well as the commitment to slowly build your mini foundry to where you want it to be.

Your metal casting journey can be an exciting adventure, starting with simple projects, and then graduating too more advanced techniques and projects.

General workshop skills will also be a great help to you when you
begin building the tools & equipment for your hobby foundry.

A great place to start learning about hobby metal casting
is to visit: http://www.myhomefoundry.com
Where free ebooks are available for download.

Article written by:
Col Croucher
From: The Home Foundry Publications
http://www.myhomefoundry.com
Info rich ebooks about setting up a hobby foundry.

What should you do with your snow sleds now that winter is over? Yes, you could just hang them back up in the garage to gather dust until the next major snowfall, or you could try one of these suggestions.

Shelving — A classic, wood toboggan can be turned into an interesting shelf. Take your toboggan (this is for a sled without runners - a long and flat sled with a curved up front end), and attach to it a few shelves. These shelves should be nailed in perpendicular to the seat of the sled, sticking out on the same side as the curved part sticks out. Nail them in from the backhand side. If you just leaves your shelves like this, they will not be able to support very much weight. For additional support, you can use wooden beams (connected diagonally from the front of the shelf down to the sled), or you can use the toboggans string to come down tightly through the shelves (just drill a hole on each side of the front of the shelf, or screw in an eye ring). Hang your new set of shelves up on the wall, curved end at the top. Place on it picture frames, trophies, or whatever else you want. It is a great way to recall fun winter times, all year round.

Table - another fun piece of furniture that you can make from a wooden toboggan is a table. Pretty much, you just need to nail some legs down into it! You can turn it upside down so that the end curls towards the floor, or you can turn it right side up. Either way, it will be a fun and unique piece of furniture. A toboggan table looks great in cabins!

Tote - during gardening season, a plastic sled without runners is a great tool for dragging your garden supplies around. You can simply place the garden tools that you need in your sled, and then drag it up the grassy hill to your gardening spot. You can also fill your sled full of weeds that need to be taken to the garbage can. It should be noted, of course, that a sled drags best over grass - you may have a bit more trouble dragging a heavy sled over concrete!

Canvas - any wooden sled could potentially double as an interesting canvas. Paint a picture of Santa Claus on your sled, or maybe paint your favorite winter scene. The possibilities are endless! This is a great project if you have an old wooden sled that no longer works. It can be a great way to “preserve” a sled that has been passed down your family for generations. Of course, even a new sled can be painted - as long as you properly seal it, it will look great as you are sledding down the hill, too!

Bench/couch/chair - depending on what sort of sled you have, you can turn it into a bench, a couch, or a chair. You can fill up a plastic sled with pillows and blankets for a comfortable kids chair/bed. You can attach legs and turn a sled into a bench. Or, you can saw a bench in half and then reattach the halves perpendicularly to create a chair (legs are optional). Quite obviously, there is much more carpentry involved in this project, but this is merely an idea!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, recreation, art, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on snow sleds, please visit Snow Sleds.

In answer to the question, what are quilting fabrics; we need to look back at the history of quilting fabrics.

During the American civil war the ladies in the South would raise funds for their soldiers by sewing and selling quilts. Well, the war went on a lot longer than anyone had anticipated and the ladies quilting changed from fundraising to bedding. In fact, it got so bad that there ended up being a shortage of quilting fabrics. Near the end of the war, people were tearing apart old mattresses and carpets in a desperate search for any kind of fiber that could be used as quilting fabric.

Back in Victorian times quilting was a pastime for the rich and pampered as they were the only ones who could afford the fancy materials being used in their quilts. One popular craze was something called crazy quilts. These quilts would sport many kinds of contrasting materials, colors and designs. So the Victorian quilters were always looking for eye-catching and outrageous quilting fabrics. It was not unusual to find velvet, silk and brocade doing duty as quilting fabrics. Years later the Victorian quilters also began introducing flannels, denims and other cottons into their crazy quilts’ list of acceptable quilting fabrics.

Many of the Victorian crazy quilts are still around today and can be viewed in museums and other quilting displays. Many of them still look wonderful. The wild variety of quilting fabrics as eye catching today as they were centuries ago. Unfortunately, the one quilting fabric that did not age well was silk. If you see a crazy quilt that sports pieces of silk you will quickly notice that those pieces of quilting fabric have deteriorated quickly.

So now you know a little of the history of quilting fabrics.

Sources:
www.womenfolk.com/quilting-history/civilwar.htm
www.womenfolk.com/quilting-history/crazy.htm

This article is provided courtesy of http://quiltsandquilting.com You may freely reprint this article on your website or in your newsletter provided this courtesy notice and the author name and URL remain intact.

La Chavanette is amongst the foremost skiing areas for much merriment and enjoyment. La Chavanette is a lovely area that provides the family group hiking, white water rafting, horseback riding, festivals and many other things for the group to relish.

However when the first snowfall begins to settle on the woods and mountain peaks, and the ponds ice over, La Chavanette changes its look from autumn colours to a blanket of white. La Chavanette bursts with winter activities ” dog sledding, ice climbing and snowboarding.

La Chavanette was named the best skiing domain in France annually by skiing journals and avid snowboarders. A majestic 2900 meters up, it with 48 trails, the best is 7 miles, and in total there is 520 acres of skiing. There’s trails for novices and reasonable skiers, and 48 runs for expert skiers. La Chavanette’s lift systems can handle 17000 skiers each hour and so there is no waste of time waiting to get to the top. You can select the cable car for a superb panorama of the mountains and the surrounding ski resorts. For the hungry monoskier] or {mountain visitor, there are countless restaurants who provide gluwein and stews, paninis or wholesome meals. Therefore why not look into reserving a catered ski chalet and travel out there now.?

I would reccomend that you buy your next bed online, this is because it’s quick, convenient and cheaper, not only all that but there is a much larger selection available online. Please always remember to take accurate measurements of your bedrooms dimensions, this is because there are no strict size measurements for bed designers to adhere too, generally though they try to keep as close as possible to regular sizes. So I will repeat this again, it is vitally important to check the size of your new bed with the measurements of your room

The contemporary style is becoming very popular in the bedroom, this is because it is a relaxing style, but how do you get a bed that is contemporary?. A contemporary bed will have a simple & clean design with very little decoration or details. Most contemporary beds have some sort of curves instead of straight lines. The main feature of any contemporary bed is the low profile design, this helps create the illusion of more space in your bedroom.

If you are on a budget then buying a new bed is not something you really want to do, but if you shop online you can usually find quite a few bargains out there. KDBeds is great for that as they stock a wide range of beds and have some great price, however one of the cheapest kinds of beds are found at PineBed.org.uk or something a little more extravagent can be found at LeatherBed.org.uk