Tips About Pets

Japanese koi are the most colorful and magnificent fish that you can keep in any fresh water environment. The different color and pattern variations associated with the different koi varieties can be like an artist painting on each fish. Even the white of the Platinum Ogon koi can be breathtaking. Especially for a fish that can grow to 30 inches and live to 50 years in the right environment. From the Asagi to the Utsuri, there are many factors involved in raising these magnificent koi. Many koi keepers have done all the right things in creating a koi pond large enough, with plenty of water movement and filtration to keep and grow large koi. They may buy quality Japanese koi that started out looking great, but as time goes by may loose koi to disease or have the colors seem to wash out. Many koi keepers overlook the importance of using a premium koi food that meets all the nutritional needs of their koi. It's like humans eating a diet of junk food and expecting to be trim and healthy and live a long life.

Bentonite Clay

The Japanese have spent many years developing the different breeds by careful selection and also developing their own formulas of food for the best growth, color, and health. The best koi in the world are grown in mud ponds in the fertile valleys of Niigata in Japan. The reason for this is because of the minerals present in the clay of these mud ponds that ad to the color and health of the koi. Dainichi is the only koi food that incorporates bentonite clay in their koi foods. Bentonite clay contains over 60 minerals and trace elements that aid in enhancing digestion and growth, as well as neutralizing metabolic toxins. Koi that have a poor diet will show up in the whites looking dingy, especially in the face where it will look more yellow than in the rest of the koi. You can also add bentonite clay directly to the pond water to help stabilize the water ph. Koi will ingest significant quantities of silt and other indigestible detritus from their natural environment which will act to bulk out the diet. Having gravel in the bottom of your pond gives a place for this silt and detritus to build up without having the turbid water that you would in a mud pond. It will also harbor worms and small crustaceans that the koi will feed on. Water lilies can be taken out of the pots and planted directly in the gravel adding to the ecosystem of the pond.

High Protein

The metabolism of koi reaches a peak at water temperatures of 75° F. During this time it is essential that they receive a high protein diet to aid in growth and color. They also need to be fed at least twice a day, three times is better. Koi do not have stomachs, and when their metabolism is high they forage constantly. Fish meal and krill for color are protein ingredients to look for in a high quality koi food.

Koi Eat Plants

There are a lot of people that will tell you not to put Japanese koi and plants together. Pet stores and internet articles suggest that koi will destroy any plants you put in your pond. Koi are omnivorous and need vegetable matter in their diet. A high quality koi food will contain spirulina algae which also enhances color. Since koi forage constantly it is good to grow a plant in your pond that will keep up with the appetite of the koi. Watercress is an excellent plant food source for koi. Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C, and koi love it. It is best to plant on a shallow ledge with rocks around it to keep the koi from pulling up the roots. You can buy it in the produce section of your grocery store. Just stick it in some shallow water in gravel and it will grow.

Different Foods for the Seasons

During the cooler seasons of spring and fall it is best to feed a food that is higher in vegetable matter, lower in protein, and easy to digest. In the summer months, when the water temperature is above 70° F switch to a higher protein formula. When the water temperature is above 70° F it takes about 16 hours for the food to move completely through a koi digestive tract. At 50° F it can take up to 60 hours and food intake is much less. Only feed the koi as much as they will eat within a few minutes. It is much better to feed 3 times a day in the summer months. At 50° - 55° feed 2 - 3 times a week. When the water temperature goes below 50° F do not feed the koi at all. If the food is not digested due to the low metabolism it can rot in the gut of the koi and cause death.

Cost Versus Quality

If you consider the cost of a high quality food versus the "cheap" foods, there is not that much difference. Keeping healthy koi using a high quality food means fewer outbreaks of disease and lower mortality rates. You are not spending money replacing koi or treating for disease with medications due to poor health because of a poor diet. You also have to go by weight and not just the physical size of the bag. Cheaper foods tend to be more airy while the premium foods tend to be more dense, so it looks like you are getting more food than you actually are with the cheap food. Many times, if compared by weight, the price is pretty close. In the long run it may actually be cheaper to buy the premium food. You will definitely notice the difference in the color, growth, and overall health of the koi over just a short time.

When you have a pet, you need to make sure that you are able to take care of it, to make sure that your pet is healthy and happy you should have all of the pet care information that is available to you. You can find pet care information from your local pet store where they will be able to give you advice on taking care of your pet, what you should feed them and how much, how to keep them happy and much more, don’t be afraid to ask because that is what the staff are there for!

You can also get pet care information from your local vet they will be able to tell you everything that you need to know in order to keep your pet healthy, from diets and weight, to walking and health it is important that you talk to your vet and know everything about looking after an animal. Lastly, you can find pet care information on the internet there are hundreds and hundreds of websites out there with helpful advice and tips on looking after and training animals just do a quick search on an internet search site for more information.

Here are some important pet care information tips to help you get started:

1 Always make sure that your pet has an area in which it can go to the bathroom, and remember to praise your pet when he does something good.

2 Be sure that you do not over feed your pets because it is unhealthy for them to be over weight.

3 Never hit or shout at your pet because this will just make them scared of you.

4 Make sure that your pet has all of his shots so that he is protected against disease, and take your pet for regular check ups.

5 Pets need lots of care and attention it is not fair on the pet or you if you know you are going to be out of the house for long periods of time.

6 Never give a pet as a Christmas present.

7 Don’t force your pet to do something that he doesn’t want to do this will only make you irritated and your pet very unhappy.

If you would like any more pet care information, then head down to your local pet shop or vet and pick up some helpful leaflets on how to take care of your pet and keep him happy and healthy, or check out the internet for great tips on how to take care and train your pet.

Your westie won't let anything pass, and will want to know about everything and everywhere. That is why training him to be disciplined and obedient is part and parcel of caring for your dog.

The best time to start westie training the dog is from the moment he is brought home at close to 8 weeks. The westie will need to be taught some simple words to start things off. His name would be the first important thing, which needs to be repeated to him while he is a puppy. Then word commands will be taught to him; teaching commands is basically saying the appropriate word many times while the puppy maintains that position. Soon, he will simply learn to make the association between that word and what he was doing.

When the puppy behaves accordingly, praise him to let him know you are happy with how he is behaving. You will help build confidence in your dog when your dog makes the connection between your saying “good dog” and a happy, positive reaction from you. But if the puppy does something that you do not want him to do, say “No” but only on times that you catch doing something he ought not to. There is no sense anymore in disciplining a puppy for an accident that happened minutes ago, or for some mischief that you are sure he was responsible for, but was not caught red-handed. Otherwise, your poor dog will get mixed signals.

The time you need to start teaching a new command is some 15 minutes a day. Find out if there are any basic training classes in your city. They will be indeed a big help in case the westie you just obtained is an adult.

Let's talk now more about the puppies' westie training. As stated earlier, the training starts when you bring your puppy home, but start small of course. Naturally, the westie is still too young to know the gravity of his actions, let alone remember for all his life what you teach.

But still what we just discussed still stands. Things done your way earn him praise and love, while things done his way earn him penalties (but never harm, which is excessive). You need to show the dog again and again that your way is easier to do and more desirable, so that the puppy will want to repeat that action to get more love from you.

Put into action a successful westie training by being persistent, confident and above all consistent yourself. This way, your westie can sense the confidence in you, and will grow up confident himself!