Giant dog-sized rats eats baby alive.

Giant dog-sized rats ate a sleeping three-month-old girl alive after she was allegedly left alone by her mother, who had scurried off to go partying. The 26-year-old mother from Johannesburg, South Africa arrived home after a night of boozing with her boyfriend and found the remains of her baby daughter on a blood-soaked bed, The U.K. Sun reports. The mother, who has been charged with child neglect, originally claimed the child had burned to death but neighbors who rushed to the shack in the township area of Katlehong disagreed. The baby died a painful death, as the infant’s tongue, eyes and fingers had all been eaten. and besides the missing body parts, the remains of her body had bites and wounds all over that were inflicted by the sharp teeth of the rats. Witnesses said the woman had taken the girl's twin brother Lucky out with her, when she went partying. She returned at 6:30 a.m. with her new boyfriend in tow and discovered that her daughter had been eaten by rats, her landlady, Mama Sesi Mtshali, said. This is not the first time rats have eaten people in South Africa townships as large numbers of rats are in the environment.more

The Nigerian Army and cattle rearing.

The drive to be food secure in the country and increase revenue through export of products has seen many sectors in the country dabbing into agriculture and agribusiness. The latest entrant to the agricultural zone is the Nigerian Army. The Nigeria Army has decided to raise cattle ranches in all brigades and divisions in the country to ensure food security through intensive production to ensure wholesome beef is available and to set the ball rolling officers were sent to Argentina to learn and understand production techniques. The idea behind under-studying Argentina is the fact they have a population of 41 million people but feed about 400 million people with their beef around the world.The Army has come up with an initiative dubbed the barrack investment initiative as a platform to encourage agribusiness ventures such as vegetable farming,rearing chicken e.t.c continue

Stress Can Cause Dogs To Go Prematurely Gray.

A new study has shown that stress can cause dogs to go grey prematurely.The study showed that the more anxious and impulsive a dog is the greater the stress level and hence graying of hair of the face. Animals are prone to stress induced graying just like humans according to a study published in December issue of Applied Animal Behavior Science. The lead researcher Camille King, an alumnus of Northern Illinois University and animal behaviorist, said based on years of experience observing and working with dogs, I’ve long had a suspicion that dogs with higher levels of anxiety and impulsiveness also show increased muzzle grayness. For the study, King teamed up with NIU professor Thomas Smith, animal behaviorist Peter Borchelt and renowned author/researcher Temple Grandin to visit dogs parks, veterinary offices and other areas where dogs congregate in Colorado. Together, they examined 400 dogs between the ages of 1 and 4. The dogs were photographed and the degree of muzzle grayness was rated on an ordinal scale ranging from “no gray” to “full gray.” In addition, the dogs’ owners were asked to fill out a behavior questionnaire and the owners were told that the purpose of the study involved dog lifestyle in order to prevent biased responses. The researchers found that dogs who exhibited higher owner-reported signs of anxiety and impulsivity showed a greater extent of premature muzzle graying than their less-anxious and less-impulsive dog peers. Female dogs showed higher levels of grayness than male dogs, but dog size, spay/neuter status and the presence of medical problems did not significantly predict the extent of muzzle grayness. One practical implication of the findings of this study involves the possibility of using observations of muzzle grayness in a diagnostic manner to address anxiety, impulsivity, or fear issues. According to the researchers, if dog professionals such as veterinarians, applied behaviorists, dog trainers, etc. are able to note premature graying in their assessments and or training, then these dogs might be assessed more thoroughly for anxiety/impulsivity/fear problems and, if necessary, started on behavior modification programs earlier in their developmental life stages. more

Selfie for your pets.

Pictures are now a modern way of communicating and with various social media platform to upload everybody is a potential photographer. The camera used,position and definitely the photo effects makes taking photographs as easy as it gets. This season many pet owners will capture fun moments with family and friends and yes with their pets,some pet lovers also make videos of sensational moments. The advent of selfies has increased the skill and level of photography,thus making many some sort of pro. Photography made easy for you and your pet,learn how to take amazing shots suitable for postcards and decoration.See

DIY CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR DOGS.

Its the Christmas season and joy is the word of the season. Malls are decorated,gifts purchased and several gift patterns are in the parks,but wait have you bought any gift for your dogs? 

Now is the time to shop or better still make great toys using old stuff: yes your dog will love it. See this, 

 Did you know you could turn old plastic bottles to toys? 

FOOT ROT IN RUMINANTS.

Foot rot is the common cause of lameness in ruminants and the effects are devastating both physically and financially. Lameness affects productivity,fertility and longevity of the animals on the farm. Foot rot is a common cause of lameness on farms. Foot rot causes economic losses through reduced live weight gain, reduced fertility and reduced mobility, it is a debilitating and painful condition and it is highly infectious and spreads easily from animal to animal on farm. Foot rot is easily recognized by a foul, very distinctive smell and under-running of the hoof causing the sole and the hoof wall to separate. Foot rot is caused by Fusobacterium necrophorum, the bacteria that causes scald,and it is found in the intestines of ruminants and is usually passed out with dung onto the field. This bacterium infects the hoof space first, particularly when it is damaged due to trauma or wet conditions. Foot rot occurs where scald is already established and the animal now comes in contact with a second bacterium called Dichelobacter nodosus. This second bacterium is able to enter the hoof and cause significant damage. Foot rot is an animal-animal disease and control and prevention must focus on a whole flock health plan. Control measures include :1) bio security plan for farm to include isolation and physical examination of newly acquired animals to farm. 2) provision of foot baths and regular hoof examination 3)Ensure the stalls are clean and dry. 4)Early detection will spur early treatment,thus observe animals and start treatment immediately. Animals that have persistent infection and lame and don't respond to treatment should be culled.

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea .

Bovine Viral Diarrhoea is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals. BVD is widespread amongst herds and many farmers are unaware of the virus circulating in their herds. The signs of infection vary and majorly include fertility problems such as abortions and birth defects, scour and reduced milk yield. Other less directly associated illnesses, due to the effects of infection on the animals’ immune response, include an increased incidence of other diseases such as pneumonia, lameness or mastitis within the herd. BVD is spread by nose-to-nose contact between infected cattle within the herd, mixing with infected animals from another farm, and during transportation. Cattle can also be infected indirectly by exposure to contaminated equipment, other ruminants especially sheep or by visitors to the farm. Bio security protocols are important to ensure safety of herd and prevent infection. The infection type could be persistent or transient,where the transient infection occurs any time after the animal is born and the persistent type occurs when a dam is infected with BVD for the first time during the first 4 months of pregnancy and the developing calf born is persistently infected with the virus and sheds high levels of virus thereby been a ready source of virus on the farm. The control measure is to test herd and remove carriers,vaccination is major key to a safe and clean herd. Vaccination of dams before breeding season is important.