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Thursday, March 20, 2008
Hereditary Orthopedic Diseases in Dogs
Do you
ever read about
a dog breed
and discover that
a particular breed
can be prone
to a number of diseases -
most of which you can't understand? Are you
in the process of choosing
a dog and you
want to know which breed-specific
hereditary disease that
the breeder should have screened out
in the breeding stock?
Most
breeders spend a lot of time and resources trying
to get rid of
genetic diseases in their lines. However,
some amateur breeders and
puppy mills
are breeding
dogs without screening the parents and perpetuating poor genetic health.
This
article is not exhaustive but
will attempt to describe
some common hereditary musculoskeletal
diseases and indicate some of the dog breeds that have shown a tendency to inherit these diseases
in the past. Since so many dogs have inherited
orthopedic problems, these
disorders are extremely well researched and studied. If you want to check on a particular dog breed you can go to www.dog-breed-facts.com and search on a particular breed for its health issues.
There are a number of common inherited diseases for which reputable breeders screen their breeding stock. The Orthopedic
Foundation for Animals
(OFA) has specialists evaluate
X-rays, DNA, thyroid, cardiac and other tests and register the results. A prospective pure-bred
puppy buyer should
ask to see the OFA results for the dog's sire and dam.
Chondrodysplasia
or dwarfism in the
legs is a disease that causes malformation of the carpal and radius bones of the
front legs resulting in a stunted and bowed look. Puppies born with
this disease do not show any signs until they
grow older. The disease can be painful and often the only choice
is to euthanize the dog. This disease
is most common in the Alaskan malamute and the Beagle.
Elbow
dysplasia is a hereditary disease in which the elbow joints of the front legs are malformed. Lameness usually makes its appearance around 7 to 10 months of age and is
treated by anti-inflammatories and also surgery. All breeds are susceptible to the disease but it is most common in large male breeds. These breeds
include the: Basset hound, Bernese mountain dog,
Bloodhound, Bouvier des Flandres, Chow Chow, German shepherd, Golden retriever, Great Pyrenees, Irish wolfhound, Labrador retriever, Mastiff, Rottweiler, Saint Bernard and Weimaraner.
Hip dysplasia is a disorder that results when there is a loose fit of the
'ball and socket' hip
joint and the ball may continuously slide part way out of the socket.
Over time this will cause osteoarthritis in the joint and the dog will become
lame and weak in the hind
end. Some relief can be found with the use of nutriceuticals such
as glucosamine and
chondroitin, and anti-inflammatories. Some cases are so bad that the dog must have
surgery or be euthanized. Ensuring that your dog isn't overfed and overweight can delay the onset of hip
dysplasia. Larger breeds that grow fastest
during the first four months seem to be more prone to this disease.
Hip dysplasia is the most common inherited orthopedic disease in large and giant breeds and many medium-sized breeds as well.
Legg-Calve-Perthes is a disease of the hip joint where the ball or head of the femur deteriorates and causes
pain and lameness in the hind leg. This disease usually affects young small dogs aged from
4 to 12 months. This
condition is successfully treated by surgery. This disorder can affect all terriers,
Chihuahuas, Dachshunds, Miniature pinscher, Miniature
poodles, Pugs and Toy poodles.
Panosteitis or 'pano' is a common condition which
suddenly causes lameness in a growing puppy or adolescent dog. The lameness is a result of
inflammation of the long bones of the front and hind legs and can be mild to severe. A veterinarian will probably prescribe pain medication and ask you to restrict exercise. Affected puppies usually grow out of the condition as they mature. It is most common in male medium- to giant-sized dog breeds which include the: Afghan Hound, Basset
hound, Doberman pinscher, German shepherd, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Labrador retriever and Rottweiler.
Luxating Patella (Patellar luxation) or slipped stifle is a hereditary condition where the knee cap slips out of its groove. In some cases, the kneecap will slip
back into place while in other cases; a veterinarian may need to put it back in place. If it is not corrected through surgery,
then osteoarthritis will usually result. The condition is quite prevalent in toy breeds. It is commonly seen in the Affenpinscher, Australian terrier, Basset hound, Boston terrier, Chihuahua, Cavalier King Charles
Spaniel, English Toy Spaniel,
Maltese, Papillon, Pekingese, Pomeranian,
Poodle (miniature and toy) and Lhasa Apso.
Mike Mathews is a contributing writer and
editor for the popular dog breed site:
http://www.dog-breed-facts.com. He provides informative, real-world advice and tips on dog breeds, dog
health, dog grooming and more. As well be sure to check out his free
report on Dog Training.
What Writers Must Know about Internet Commerce
Let's
assume you're
a writer
and you want
to make money
by writing. In
the olden
days (last year, maybe)
you would think up an article idea, hammer
a few paragraphs out,
and then check with
some editors if they
were interested
in buying
a finished product.
If
you were
lucky, you sold it. If you were
not exactly unlucky,
the editor rejected your idea
but paid you
to go
out and write something else. And
the most common response was a great big bunch of nothing.
No response. No answer. No sale.
You have
probably heard
that a writer
can make money
on the Internet, but you're probably thinking, "How
on earth is
that possible?" After all, just
about every
job offer
that comes
to writers
for Internet type stuff pays less than
even a skinflint
magazine editor would have paid ten years ago for
the same material. The big difference is
that the Internet publishers seeking writing support want their content virtually overnight
and the old-fashioned editors did not mind giving you a few weeks.
There are two ways
to make money on the Internet and they mirror the ways people make money in the brick-and-mortar business world. First, you
can sell something. Whether it's ceiling fans or candles or airline tickets, you
can make money if you have a
product that you can trade
to people for cash.
The other way you can make money online is by
selling advertising. The best models for this include
TV programs, magazines, and newspapers. Take a TV program; it's content that is offered for
free to people who want to see it. A newspaper isn't exactly free, but
it contains a lot of high-value content
from around the world and it's offered at a very nominal fee (less than it costs to print it, I bet) to just about anyone who wants it. They'll even bring it to your house every morning! Who else
will deliver for a product that does not even cost a dollar-for no extra
shipping and handling fee?
Then there are magazines. They cost more but they're still a great buy considering the content you
get, the articles, the pictures, and the sheer
volume of printed pages.
So
how do these
enterprises make money? They do it by offering content that people want and then
selling advertisement. TV shows make money because they sell some of their viewing time to advertisers who offer commercials. Newspapers and magazines do take in some subscription money, but the thing that keeps them in business is
ad revenue.
And how do advertisers manage to survive? Smart businesses know the best opportunities for their particular type of advertisements.
There's a whole science to that. If a well-placed smart commercial on a certain TV show increases sales, then everybody
wins. The company earns money because the ad draws customers; the TV show earns money because it sells time (and eyeballs) to the advertiser.
You can build a website that features lots of top-quality content and then sell advertising on that site.
Now you can't just throw up any old site (and the operative word here is "throw up") and figure that advertising will work. You
need a quality product. You also have to offer something of value.
That's where the good news comes in: you're a writer.
You can create your own online
magazine of sorts. The goal is to attract people interested in the same subject to look at your site. There's a whole science to that, too. But if you do it right, people on your site may be interested in ads on
related subjects.
The Internet is
all about niches. Let's say you want to write about dogs. Bad idea. It's
too broad for the Internet. With the Internet you have to think narrow. You could write about dog training. Or
adopting poodles from the pound. Or photographing dogs.
The idea is that your highly targeted
information will resonate with a particular
subset of readers. With billions of Internet
search a year, you
don't need to have broad appeal to get a big audience.
Then you sell advertising. Now in the traditional business model, that meant pounding the pavement, talking to
potential advertisers, and often working with them to get an ad finalized. Then you had to hound them for payment.
On the Internet, you can sign up with search providers to put ads on your site. These ads (offered by the big search engines) use electronic algorithms to automatically
match ads by content to your site so that your dog training site won't offer ads for gastric bypass surgery. You don't sell a single ad: you merely clear some room for Google or Yahoo to put ads on your site. They match the ads to your content.
In the print world of
our ancient ancestors, an advertiser paid if
his ad ran, regardless of whether anyone responded. Internat ads work on a different model; they run for free and the advertiser pays only when somebody clicks on them. This is
what is meant when they say advertisers pay for clicks.
The good news is that you can find qualified advertisers and start generating ad revenues from a website pretty quickly without ever having
direct contact with your advertisers.
You can also get advertisers the old-fashioned way by
selling space on your site to individual vendors. Those arrangements are worked
out individually.
Savvy Internet entrepreneurs can make money
either selling products (including electronic products like e-books or online courses and now even online audios) or selling advertising or a bit of both.
There are
strategies for what to use and how, but those are the basics.
So what exactly does this mean for us
writers? Writers need to start thinking about what they write not just in terms of how to tell the story, but how to best position the content in the marketplace.
If you can set up a wholesale arrangement with local or even international vendors, you can sell products using a
"shopping cart" type website, lots of
photos, and some cool product descriptions.
If you have the expertise (or can get it) and can write about how to beat a speeding ticket, land a job working on a cruise ship, or sell your home without a real estate agent, you can write electronic content (e-book, e-course, other materials that are
delivered online including audios and videos) and sell that.
First, of
course, you have to understand how these kinds of enterprises actually function. Even some off-the-wall business angles are good to study, because the same principles always apply. You target a
specific niche market, develop content to attract visitors, and then sell either advertising, products, or both.
Jo Ann LeQuang
writes for a living. If you would like to write for a living or write for a better living, find out more of what she has to say at
http://www.workingonlinewriter.com .
Parvovirus A Very Realistic Threat To Your Dogs Health
Parvovirus
was first identified in 1977 and can infect dogs of all ages, but usually
strikes young unvaccinated
puppies under
the age
of 6 weeks. Most
puppies acquire temporary parvo-destroying antibodies
by ingesting them
through their mothers first milk,
(colostrums). Puppies should be vaccinated starting
at 6 to 9 weeks
of age,
and then
every three weeks until they reach
16 weeks.
Afterwards, yearly boosters
are recommended.
Veterinarians
can now test
for the presence of parvovirus
in their own clinics.
Symptoms include loss of appetite,
persistent vomiting,
and profuse, odiferous diarrhea, often
streaked with blood. In dogs, the lining of the
intestines, lymph nodes, and bone marrow are the main
target areas for Parvo. In puppies less
than 6 weeks of age, the virus can infect heart cells, causing irreparable damage
to the heart.
Certain
breeds seem
more prone to Parvo, Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, Pit Bulls,
and German
Shepherds, but scientists do not know why.
Parvo is highly contagious,
and is spread by oral
contact with infected feces.
Keep your dog away
from other
dogs with unknown vaccination
status, and from areas
where such dogs congregate.
If
you board your dog, make
sure that the owner/instructor
requires proof of vaccination for all their customers. Do not take
you unvaccinated
or unprotected
puppy to
pet stores or parks until
it is fully protected. Prevent your
dog from coming in contact with feces, and always observe good hygiene at home.
You can disinfect daily with a 1 to
30 ratio of chlorine bleach to water
mixture. Parvo is much less common than it
was 20 years ago but we still
cannot completely
eliminate the risk completely.
Remember, if you
have further questions
about Parvovirus
or any other health issue, or if you think your dog
has symptoms of a serious illness, be sure to contact your
veterinarian at once. Your veterinarian can explain and
break down and explain any issue and or questions you may have.
Randy Jones and
his partner Brent Jones have been in the pet industry for a long time.
Recently they formed
http://Joncopets.com. On the site, customers can shop for the
latest dog collars, dog clothes, pet supplies and more.
Check them
out at
http://www.joncopets.com
Associate Marketing: Is It the Simplest Means To Make Money Online?
Affiliate marketing
has been around long before
the internet, but
it has
become so much more popular as
a way
to make money since
then. Let's take
a quick look at
what it
is and what it
is exactly
that makes it so special,
shall we?
Affiliate marketing
is not about writing
your own product and trying
to find
people to buy it. Affiliate marketing
is about recommending someone else's product
or products and
making a percentage
from that sale. It's basically piggybacking
on the efforts
of other peoples
work, which
is ok, because
they want
you to!
These marketers
who have
their own products
will be very eager
for you to recommend their products.
If they know what
they are doing then you are their best friend!
And you
can easily have a great, profitable business relationship with these other marketers; they
create the products and you sell them!
This is really great for both
the affiliate and
the creator of
the product. The average affiliate marketer just
wants to
make some extra money.
They do not bother with creating products
or services or
even handling other tasks that come along with
being a product creator or owner, like customer service, updates, upgrades, etc. Great
affiliates are really
good at
figuring out what
people want to buy and then directing those people to
the product. This is one of the many
wonderful advantages to being an affiliate marketer:
It is not your
job to sell the
item. It is your job to simply pre-sell the item. Let the items sell themselves.
Affiliate marketing can be even more
lucrative for the affiliate marketer by offering buyers incentives for
buying through your affiliate
link. What kind of special offers?
Well, the smartest
affiliates are affiliates that have actually tried the product or service they are promoting.
When the affiliate has actually tried the
product, they can create better offers based on what they know of the product! The affiliate marketer that
does this can
provide additional reports or even
videos that explain the advantages or secrets of what the buyer can do with the product or service! If you are an affiliate marketer selling a software application, then you can tell your visitors that they will receive a video from you
showing the best ways to
make use of the software program.
Back to the
original question:
Is affiliate marketing the easiest path to
make good
money online? Without a doubt, yes, it is. Once you take into
consideration the fact that you do not have to make a product and all that you have to do is promote products to people that are already looking for products you are promoting,
taking candy from a baby could not be easier.
John Gottshall has a FREE
step by step guide to making money online. It is not one of those guides that's disquised as a sales letter for something that costs money, it's the real thing.
Get it while it's still free =>
http://www.secretprofitfiles.com
School Weblogs - Why Blogging Benefits Schools - Part 1 of 2
Weblogs or blogs
as they are known
are here
to stay. They
will evolve
as time goes
on but communicating
online via blogs
whether through text,
video or podcast audio,
is something
that is
going to be a part of
the internet
for some time. Schools
today can benefit greatly by providing
their students
with a school-sponsored weblog as
a means
to communicate with their
teachers and other students
in their school. In
the same way
that many blogs
have virtual communities
formed around them, schools
can create
and foster a community
environment that provides a beneficial
learning environment for kids today rather
than just a
place they have
to go everyday.
School Policies &
Contact Information
In
the news today
we see many schools enacting policies
and practices
to help
them run better and
provide a positive learning environment for all children. One area for example
has to
do with what is or is not
acceptable in regards to the clothing allowed at the school. Schools that
use a weblog
would be able to have all their policies listed in one easily accessible location for
parents to
review. Regarding a
school dress code policy, the
school would be able to post actual
images of the type of clothing that is not allowed on campus
so parents would be able to have a clear idea of what clothing is acceptable when they go to school. Other policies
such as grade requirements for playing sports or participating in school sponsored clubs as
well as the school disciplinary policies for things such as fighting, bullying, being late or failing to complete homework assignments
can also be posted on the school weblog. Contact
information can also be provided for parents with questions or concerns regarding a policy.
School Events and Sports
Schools utilizing a
blog can use it as a way to boost school spirit and participation by placing
video clips of
sporting events such as basketball, football or soccer
games, track and field events. Other events such as science fairs, dance recitals, awards and more all can be promoted on the weblog as well. Through
promoting the school clubs and teams this way other students can find out what is going on in the school as well. Promoting the school activities like this is also a great way to attract perspective students and their parents
who have recently moved or are going to move into the area.
Additional Class Instruction
School weblogs can be a great
place and informational resource where students can go for additional help with their school assignments. Many times
teachers do not have enough time to devote to each student to answer each and
every question. Through a blog setup by the school, teachers can post amplifying information on topics that they cover in
class, further explanations, and more examples - things that they do not have time to cover in
class. Students can
then look over this additional information to help them when they are working on their homework. Every
person learns differently, and by explaining information in different
forms, either with diagrams, words, or other means the idea can be
conveyed so that the student can grasp it.
The school blog can also provide links to other valuable
educational resources that can be
used. Teachers that find a good informative video to
watch, website to read or podcast to listen to that covers a topic can place a link on the blog
page and students can then access the information to assist them in their assignments.
Utilizing a chat room feature, schools using weblogs would provide a way for students and teachers to discuss problems that
come up when working on homework assignments. Some students have anxiety over asking questions in
class, so by providing a way that they can ask teachers questions outside of the class can help them
overcome problems they may be having. An online chat feature would also be a way that students can form study groups to work on assignments.
While the use of weblogs in school can provide students with a valuable educational resource they can also provide them with other information to help them with the day to day problems they may face. Read Part 2 for more on
how weblogs can provide valuable resources for students, teachers and parents as well as some of the privacy and security concerns that will arise.
John Collins is a contributing writer for
Computer Internet Resources. Visit
http://www.blogging.computerinternetresources.com for more information on blogging, its
uses and applications as well as
reviews of blogging software and services.
Famous People With Tourettes
Tourettes
is a relatively
uncommon neurological
disorder that a
very small percentage
of people actually have.
Some
who develop
Tourettes are determined
that it is practically a death sentence
with them
being forced
to hide indoors
and avoid contact
with others.
However, this is far from
the truth.
There have been several very famous people who have
Tourettes who set a shinning example
of what is
possible for you
to do.
There are several people who definitely have Tourettes
and openly talk
about it, while others have announced they have Tourettes but do
not talk about
it as much.
It is generally very inspiring to people who do have Tourettes because it shows how
some people have
managed to overcome
many of the obstacles that Tourettes represents.
Mozart
One of
the most famous people who is suspected of having Tourettes
was Mozart.
There is nothing official that proves this theory though,
and many Tourettes experts deny this possibility.
Nevertheless, some historians do swear that
he did have Tourettes based upon some of his behavior. At this point,
there is
no way to absolutely
neither confirm nor deny these claims.
Tim Howard
The goalkeeper for Manchester United, he played
in the 2000 Olympics. It
has been
said that Tim's symptoms started appearing in elementary school.
He was considered a discipline
problem by some of his teachers,
and was often teased in school. Tim
serves as a great inspiration for
anyone with Tourettes who wishes to participate in athletics. He
has shown due to his Olympic participation that Tourettes will not hold someone back; it is possible to still pursue a great and successful athletic career.
Howard Hughes
Famous Hollywood film director and an aviator, he was quiet well known for having several tics and obsessions. He still managed to direct
numerous films, as well as own and fly several planes and airlines. He was able to be successful in his career,
despite having a major germ obsession that worsened, as he got older, instead of diminishing like many Tourettes symptoms.
Howie Mandel
Comedian and brains behind several television series, Howie Mandel has managed to live his life to the fullest possible while still
dealing with his Tourettes. He owns 2
different homes, including
one that is kept sterile so that he can stay there free of germs in the event that his germ obsession kicks up. He has been known for television shows
such as Bobby's World and St. Elsewhere. Howie has made it clear that having Tourettes has definitely not stopped him from reaching a great
plateau many comedians would love; he has been voted as one of the 100 Best Stand Up Comedians of all time.
Another piece of proof that Tourettes does not stop
success in careers.
Dan Ackroyd
Actor, screenwriter, comedian, and musician Dan Ackroyd has suffered from symptoms of Tourettes and Asperger's Syndrome.
While this has dealt Dan a double blow in terms of difficulties, he has still managed to have a very successful and fulfilling career that many others could
even dream about. He is known for several movies
such as The
Blues Brothers, Ghost Busters, and
even comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live. He is a great source of inspiration to anyone who is
looking at trying to juggle Tourettes and an acting career.
David Beckham
Soccer player from the United Kingdom David Beckham is another example of Tourettes not being enough to hold back an incredible athlete. While he has struggled with obsessions and compulsions, he still manages to make it work around his career so that he can do the best he possibly can. Because of being from the United Kingdom, it also goes to show that Tourettes is something that can strike anyone in any
country, not just the United States.
Jim Eisenreich
Baseball has had a major
league player who was diagnosed with Tourettes. He has played with the Florida Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies and
since retiring enjoys
spending much of his time helping teach people about Tourettes. Jim is a good example of someone who was diagnosed very late in life; he was not diagnosed until he was a
professional ball player, unlike most others who are diagnosed when they are in elementary school.
Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf
Basketball is not left out in terms of athletes with Tourettes. Mahmoud is diagnosed with Tourettes and has played for the Denver Nugget and the
Sacramento Kings. He was formerly known as
Chris Jackson and has been a great inspiration for those looking at athletics.
Rodney
Marks In a world where tics and compulsive
behavior is normal, most people do not think it is possible to have a very technical job that is quite stressful. However, Rodney Marks is an Australian astrophysicist who has proven that it is possible to do very detailed work and still suffer from Tourettes.
Steve Wallace
Many NASCAR fans do not realize that
Steve Wallace is another person that can be added to the list of famous people with Tourettes syndrome.
Many do not think it is possible to control the tics in order to drive at the speeds necessary in order to
truly participate in NASCAR however, Steve has proven that is it very much possible to do.
Brad Cohen
Continuously in trouble in school, for making strange noises Brad
Cohen went on to become a great teacher and author. Many people could never imagine someone with Tourettes being
capable of teaching students, much less focusing long enough to be able to write a book. However, he has proven that it is possible to come out of the ordeal and manage symptoms enough to live a very fulfilling life.
As you can see, there are several people who have been in the public spotlight that people do not even realize have Tourettes.
Everyone has different degrees of the
illness with some only suffering
mild cases, while others suffer from very severe cases. Those with Tourettes can be inspired that their disorder will not force them to live in the darkness, alone. People are able to come out of the shadows and attempt at managing their symptoms so they too can live successful and fulfilling lives
Steve Driskill is the Author of "End Your Child's Tics Now!"
which can be found at
http://www.facialtics.org and deals with Tourettes Sydrome and how it can be managed with diet.
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