Your dog is watching you very carefully and remembers what you do.

Your dog is watching you very carefully and remembers what you do. Humans have episodic memory, and that’s pretty easy to prove, because we can use our words to describe the past events we recall. Demonstrating that animals have it is much more difficult. But now researchers in Hungary say they’ve found evidence that dogs have episodic-like memory (they added the “like” because they acknowledge they cannot get inside a dog’s head to absolutely confirm this), specifically when it comes to remembering. When it comes to having a short memory and getting easily distracted, dogs often get a bad rap. A study out Wednesday suggests their recall ability may be deeper than previously thought. In fact, they appear to be able to remember what people did in the recent past, said the report in Current Biology.This kind of recall is known as episodic memory -- the ability to mentally travel back in time and remember details about an event. It has been shown to exist in humans and primates, but never in dogs until now. "It is not possible to simply ask them, 'Do you remember what happened this morning?'" said lead researcher Claudia Fugazza. So she adapted a training technique she pioneered called "Do As I Do" for the study, which allows dogs to answer with their behavior. According to the method, dogs are trained to imitate human behavior. A person may stand on a chair, leap in the air, or tap an umbrella. continue

Melbourne 'thunderstorm asthma' kills two.

Melbourne 'thunderstorm asthma' kills two. Two people have died in Melbourne, Australia, from a rare phenomenon known as "thunderstorm asthma", after a storm hit the city late on Monday local time. Paramedics and hospitals were stretched to their limits as thousands phoned to report breathing problems. The trigger was an extreme level of rye grass pollen in the air, whipped up by strong winds. Ambulance Victoria took more than 1,870 calls ,the figure is more than six times the daily average, and at least 30 people are in intensive care. The massive call volume affected waiting times and forced 60 reserve ambulances, police and fire-fighters to respond to medical emergencies.About 200 calls were directly linked to asthma, but 600 more reported respiratory issues. One of those killed by the freak weather event was named by her family as 20-year-old Hope Carnevali. Local media said the young woman had suffered a horrific asthma attack, and lay on her lawn for more than 30 minutes waiting for an ambulance to arrive, while her family desperately performed CPR. continue

Holistic approach to pet care.

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria — so-called superbugs — is a global problem with both short- and long-term implications for human and animal health. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to human health in all communities. In time, even simple infections, usually easily treated, may not respond to antibiotics.

 Animal health providers, farming industries and even pet owners have an important role to play in reducing the overuse of antibiotics. 

The Australian Veterinary Association provides guidelines to reduce their use. These include avoiding use for infections not shown to be caused by bacteria; for example, some urinary tract problems, pancreatic disease, many gut problems and viral respiratory diseases. Antibiotics should be used only after test results identify bacterial infection and, ideally, narrow-spectrum antibiotics are chosen on the basis of sensitivity testing. 

Treatment should be carried out only for the time required to eliminate infection. Unfortunately, in practice, the time and money required for such tests isn’t always easy to find in an environment where there’s emotional pressure to heal animals quickly and cheaply. A holistic approach to animal health and wellness provides alternatives to antibiotic use. These are some steps animal owners and carers can take to reduce antibiotic use : 1) Avoid use of antibiotics where not required. Bacterial infection does not play a part in some common illnesses in veterinary medicine but antibiotics may be prescribed anyway. 2) Use alternatives where safe and effective. It’s always best to consult your vet, or holistic vet, before using them. 

Natural treatments may cause side-effects in some individual dogs or cats. Never use essential oils in or on cats. 3) If antibiotics are prescribed for your pet, make sure you complete the entire course. If you have trouble giving the medications or you think they may cause side-effects, your vet or support staff can give you suggestions.

 Resistant infections can be passed on from pet to owner so always wash your hands, especially before eating. 4) Practice good hygiene: wash your hands. No need to use antibacterial washes; soap and warm water are sufficient. Make sure you wash all surfaces of your hands, including the web between your fingers. (Follow with vitamin E cream if washing dries out your hands).

 As an alternative to antibacterial cleaners around the house, use hot water, vinegar and bicarb of soda. This will reduce the emergence of resistant bacteria and also reduce toxins your pet is exposed to.

 5) Use probiotics after courses of antibiotics to replenish good bacteria and support gut health and immunity. 6) Preventative healthcare for your pet will reduce infections and the need for antibiotics. This includes judicious use (but not overuse) of vaccines, flea, mite and worm control and regular health checks (annually for younger pets; biannually for older pets) for early detection of health problems. 

Dental disease is one of the commonest health issues in pets, resulting in gingivitis, periodontal disease and the need for antibiotics and dental surgical procedures. Make sure your pet has a dental check every six months. continue

UK on track to cut antibiotic use in animals as total sales drop 9%.

UK on track to cut antibiotic use in animals as total sales drop 9%.Sales of antibiotics for use in animals in the UK are at a four-year low, putting the UK on track to meet ambitious targets to tackle antibiotic resistance, according to a Defra report released. Antibiotic resistance is a growing threat to human health - experts believe if we do not take action it could be responsible for ten million deaths per year and cost the global economy $100 trillion by 2050. In September, the Government announced plans to tackle it, including a commitment to significantly reduce antibiotic use in animals. Today’s report shows overall sales by weight dropped by 9% from 2014 to 2015, while sales for use in food-producing animals dropped 10% from 62 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg) to 56mg/kg. This continues a ten-year downward trend and puts the UK on track to reach its 50mg/kg target by 2018. As well as the overall reduction, the report shows a drop in sales of the highest priority antibiotics that are critically important for humans. Sales of these made up just over 1% of all antibiotics sold for use in animals in 2015.continue

Brexit Britain should lead the way by banning mass antibiotic use in agriculture.

Brexit Britain should lead the way by banning mass antibiotic use in agriculture, says top doctors.The heads of 12 royal medical colleges, as well as the Faculty of Public Health, the British Medical Association and two leading health journals, today call on the Government to step up the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by prohibiting preventative prescription of medicines on animals. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, they say the UK is now in a “unique position” to introduce a ban.The intervention comes weeks after a Cambridge University study found that a quarter of supermarket chicken contained antibiotic-resistant e.coli, a bug that can lead to kidney failure and in severe cases death. In May a Government-commissioned report led by Lord Jim O’Neill said the rise of drug-resistant superbugs threatened to return medicine to the “dark ages” by rendering impotent swathes of commonly used antibiotics.continue

Locust beans in a can.

Change is the only constant thing and with various innovation simple product are branded in easy to use and stable conditions. The locust beans also known as carob is commonly used for stews as local seasoning. The locust beans is called iru in Yoruba, the ibos called it ogiri while the northerners call it dawadawa. Traditional cuisines are not complete without it,but now many conventional stews and soups have a splash of dawadawa. There are a lot of people that find the taste,color and smell not too appealing but cant seem to find any way around it because of the benefits. Here is the good news ,you can now enjoy your locust beans seasoning in powdered form without the sticky slob. This is locust beans in a can,powdered locust beans without preservative,additives just plain iru with all the health benefits . The benefits of locust beans are as follows; 1) prevents diabetes by controlling blood sugar. 2) promotes weight loss. 3)promotes good eyesight. 4)prevents strokes. 5) high in protein (35%), carbohydrate (16%), lipids (29%). 6) a good source of fat and calcium. Locust beans now available in powdered form sold in cans, call to order nationwide. #agribusiness #agriculture #food The change is here moving from this to powdered .

AGRICULTURE #AGRA INNOVATE #FOOD SECURITY.

Agriculture, what is it to you,and where do you fit? Thinking of agriculture,how to invest in agriculture or innovations in agriculture? see this. Agriculture is the new gold and at the conference/exhibition many companies showcased their products; biotechnology, food packaging and handling, vaccines, artificial insemination,liquid fertilizers ,cassava processing,packaging among st other innovation #smartfarming #smartagriculture #irrigation #rice #silos #storage. There is still so much more,join the train. There is so much more ; the agrainnovate conference still on till Friday 25/11/2016 @ Landmark center,lagos.