• Regularly change out the water to your aquarium- I personally change the water out of my tank twice monthly although you don’t necessarily have to be that vigilant. Changing out the water is more than simply pouring it out and filling it up though. You want “aged water” meaning that you want water to be sitting out for at least 24 hours before you fill the tank up.
• Feed your betta fish a variety of foods- freeze dried and flake food- Betta fish are meat eaters but giving them a mixture of brine shrimp and beef hearts combined with the typical flake food is best.
• Reduce the stress of your beta’s environment by maintaining a constant pH balance and avoid fluctuations in water temperature and ammonia levels- You can buy testing kits at any local pet store and your aquarium should have a thermometer. Temperature should be regulated to keep a constant and reliable environment and betta fish are best suited for warm and slightly acidic pH balance (7.0)
• Don’t overstock your tank with fish- Sounds like a no brainer but many people think if one is good then 10 must be better. An overstocked fish tank is a breeding ground for disease and stress (which cause disease because it hinders a fish’s immune system.
• Always quarantine new fish for a minimum of four days before introducing them to your main aquarium- Fish that come fresh from a pet store are more likely to bring with them anything they had in the previous tank. Since the Ick parasite has a life span of 4 days, you are going to want to quarantine the betta fish long enough for the parasite to proliferate and die.
• If a fish shows signs of Ick, remove him to the quarantine tank (min. 4 days)
• Never purchase plant life that has been in a tank with fish in it. If you do, quarantine it- Just like purchasing fish from a fish store could cause problems, purchasing plant life that share a tank with other fish can do the same. Quarantine to be on the safe side.

Obviously, there are also medications that you can use to eradicate the Ich but remember, you aren’t necessarily treating the fish themselves but you are treating the tank. If you follow these steps then your fish will lead a happy (and healthy), stress free life.

How to diagnose Fin Rot

Just because your Betta’s fins are deteriorating does not necessarily mean that your fish automatically has fin rot, although it is the most likely culprit. In order to accurately diagnose the problem, you will need to test the water for ammonia. Even small amounts of ammonia in the water can stress your betta out enough to cause a bacterial infection to grow. You can purchase a pH kit at your local pet store.

Once Fin Rot is diagnosed, what to do next

If you caught the onset of Fin Rot quickly, it could be as easy a fix as simply changing out the water and gravel. A lot of times that is all that is necessary. However, if your betta is in a more advanced stage of fin rot, then there is a process that you will need to go through.

Here are the steps:

1. Replace your fish tank with fresh water
2. Clean any items that you may have in your aquarium..replace gravel if you have it.
3. Apply some form of fungus eliminator to the water.
4. Add some aquarium salt to make the environment not so “bacteria friendly”.

That is essentially all there is to treat and prevent fin rot.

And things can get even tougher for their new owners.

Dogs and other animals from shelters could have a hard time acclimating to a new home, depending on what their previous lives were like.

But pets with a history of neglect or abuse, such as the 80 dogs recently rescued from an unkempt Jackson County shelter, can end up being loyal pets, animal-care employees say.

Read More… 

As animals rise in the law, so does the profile of lawyers who practice animal law.

Ninety-two of the nation’s 196 law schools approved by the American Bar Association now offer courses on animal law, up from the nine that offered classes in 2000, according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund.  Read More….

Despite the belief by some veterinarians that over-vaccinating can cause health problems in dogs and cats, Dr. Mark Russell said the risk of rabies outweighs the chance that other complications might occur.

“The reason to vaccinate is still there,” said Russell, a Huntsville veterinarian and the president of the state’s Veterinary Medical Association. Read More…

may have tags on, but if their collars get lost or they get out by accident, a tag can become worthless.

Microchipping can be an effective supplement to a collar and identification tag to help a lost pet get home sooner.  Read More….

She also has helped find new homes for a Rottweiler and pit bull that were being cared for over the fence by neighbors for nearly two months after the dogs’ family left them in the backyard when the bank took the house.

Shelters and animal-rescue organizations across the country are almost always overloaded with abandoned dogs, cats, birds and reptiles, but these days the problem has been aggravated by the rise in foreclosures, forcing families into situations that sometimes make animals the least of their concerns.  Read More….

But shelters that are experiencing an increase in pet intakes are almost without exception in areas where the foreclosure rate is high. Now there’s growing concern that another, perhaps bigger wave of pet surrenders is in the offing, the result of the worsening economy and growing joblessness that will affect additional homeowners as well as renters.  Read More….

The House Committee on Natural Resources’ Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Oceans held a hearing March 11 on the Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 2964). The legislation would amend the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981, making chimpanzees, monkeys, and other nonhuman primates prohibited wildlife species, thus strictly limiting commerce in pet primates. Read More