All hamsters need secure cages that are made from sturdy materials.  A hamster can chew a hole through a plastic shoebox within about 30 minutes so make sure that the container you use to hold the hamster during cage cleaning is equally secure. There are many commercially available hamster cages that have plastic tunnels and attachments that allow you to build very extensive habitats. Always be sure to properly latch any doors or lids as hamsters are notorious for finding these openings and escaping into houses.  It can be very difficult to locate escaped hamsters.

Knowing what constitutes an emergency for your pet goat and having a plan for getting necessary veterinary care could save your pet's life.

As with other pets, preventative veterinary care will help keep your goat healthy throughout its lifetime.

As backyard chickens are increasing in popularity as pets, their owners are coming to expect quality veterinary care for these feathered friends.

Alkalinity is a measure of the water’s ability to buffer the pH to provide stability and avoid rapid changes in pH that could adversely affect the health of the animals in the water.  It is one of the more important but most often overlooked parameters to monitor for healthy water quality in a system.  Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) is the compound that has the most effect on alkalinity, but sodium, bicarbonate and other compounds play more minor roles.  Good quality kits are available from companies like Salifert and Red Sea to test alkalinity by adding drops to the water sample in a test tube.

Problems with the Nitrogen Cycle

Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates measure the biological filter in a system.  Elevations in any of these parameters with normal pH and alkalinity indicates a problems with biological filtration (see related article: The Importance of Water Quality Testing on this website).  Mild elevations in all parameters are generally easy to fix, but there are some special cases described below that are far more concerning.

Puffer fish have teeth that grow continuously and need to be continuously worn by proper hard food items found in their wild diet.  In captivity they will often have problems with overgrown teeth due to soft captive diets. 

Fish have a unique way of showing signs of health concerns.  Paying close attention to appearance and behaviors will help identify problems early and allow a more narrowed focus for diagnostic testing. 

Pig Terminology

Sow- Adult female pig
Gilt- Young female pig
Boar- Intact male pig
Barrow- Male pig neutered before puberty
Stag- Male pig neutered after puberty

Koi are extremely popular pets due to the growing number of people who enjoy backyard ponds.  While generally quite hardy with appropriate care, koi still come down with a variety of conditions that may be helped by working with a veterinarian.