Ahhhh, the cuteness! Possible the most sproingy kitten ever. Enjoy!
Costco Has Great Price For Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health
We picked up a copy of The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health for $13.99 at Costco last night. I don’t know if all Costcos have it, but it’s worth checking out. The regular price is $22.95 and Amazon charges $21.95 with shipping.
The book is a very comprehensive guide written by the people who wrote The Merk Veterinary Manual which is the most used vet manual. The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health covers dogs, cats, horses, and, to a lesser degree, birds. There are also sections on exotic pets including:
- amphibians,
- chinchillas
- ferrets
- fish
- gerbils
- guinea pigs
- hamsters
- mice
- prairie dogs
- potbellied pigs
- rabbits
- rats
- reptiles
- sugar gliders.
According to the New York Times review, owners of exotic pets also need a book dedicated to the species they own. The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health would give you a good idea of what it takes to keep those exotic animals though.
This is a smart purchase. The book also includes sections on diagnostic tests–what they are and what they’re for, drugs and vaccines, pain management, and has the longest list of zoonoses I’ve ever seen.
Three Companies Indicted In Pet Food Contamination
ChemNutra a food, feed, and pharmaceutical ingredients importer in Las Vegas and two companies in China have been indicted in the melamine contamination of numerous pet foods that possibly killed thousands of pets in 2007. Executives and owners from the three companies are also facing charges.
Xuzhou Anying Biologic is charged with 13 felony counts of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce and 13 felony counts of introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce, Suzhou Textiles is charged with mislabeling 800 metric tons of melamine contaminated wheat gluten manufactured by Xuzhou to avoid inspection in China and not declaring the wheat gluten as food material, and ChemNutra is charged with taking possession of the tainted wheat gluten in Kansas City and distributing it to numerous pet food manufacturers. ChemNutra is charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce, 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce and one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Check out video on the indictments.
Read more about the massive pet food recall on the pet food recall archive page.
Rabbit Chew Toys
Check out these ball shaped toys for your rabbit—-they’re great for enriching your bunnies’ environment and providing appropriate things to play with. These balls are for chewing and are made from willow, grass, hay, loofah, bamboo, and other rabbit friendly materials.
It seems like it’s easier to find rabbit chew toys in the UK than in the US, but there are places out there carrying these enrichment toys. Try some of these out and make your rabbit a happy bunny.
Treat Tumbler For Rabbits
House rabbits need mental stimulation like most pets in order to avoid boredom and destructive behavior. (Dogs have lots of options for treat dispensing toys, like the Tricky Treat Ball, the Twist ‘N Treat, and the Buster Cube.)
The Treat Tumbler is a rabbit sized treat dispensing toy you fill with treats or food pellets. Adjust the opening to let treats fall out and let your rabbit roll it round and fling it to get the treats out. At first, you may need to put something they especially love in it so they don’t lose interest before they figure out how it works.
Check out Ivor the Dutch Rabbit showing how the Treat Tumbler works.