Date with your bearded dragon

Sutcliffe beside a highlighter...just for scale.

Little Sutcliffe, our foster central bearded dragon, is doing fine but spending time with reptiles is a good reminder to stop and smell the roses. For a start they need plenty of UVB light – you can buy artificial sources and he has access to one of those, but there’s nothing like a good old bit of natural sunshine to help that reptile metabolism along (we don't want him to end up with metabolic bone disease). It’s a bit cloudy and wet in Sydney today, but if you’re somewhere sunny and you happen to be hanging with a reptile, why not take a few hours to share the sunshine?

One of the key things of course is not to over-handle these guys, as they become stressed and don't get the UV light or heat that they need. Just relax and share the same space.

Sutcliffe ain’t doing too bad but still needs to be assist-fed (Hill’s a/d diet at the moment and some calcium Sandoz). We’re looking forward to the moment he decides to eat a cricket or even a meal worm!

We're hoping in a few months he looks more like little Jet here.

Jet, the juvenile bearded dragon.

In the meantime if you're looking for something stimulating and animal-welfare friendly, consider enrolling in Pauleen Bennett's online course through the Centre for Veterinary Education. It kicks off on Monday and the program looks awesome (and it includes a donation to the RSPCA - so why not donate and learn at the same time?). More here.

Meal worms.

SAT awesome giveaway - Shark Girl DVD - and wildlife selfies

Madison Stewart doing what she enjoys most: fraternising with a shark.

Last month we interviewed the inspirational Madison Stewart, aka Shark Girl, about her passion for a group of animals many people fear (you can read it here).

Thanks to ABC Television we have not one, not two, but three copies of “Shark Girl: One Girl’s PassionateFight to Save the Creatures She Loves”.

As Madison has said, one of the biggest threats to sharks is our fear of them. She is trying to help sharks by, among other things, educating people about them and trying to blast some irrational fears along the way.

So, to win a copy of this awesome DVD (which is valued at $19.99 and includes a swag of special features and behind-the-scenes footage), SAT wants a photo documenting you helping out a non-human or non-humans. 

It could be direct – like pulling a horse out of a ditch – or indirect, like teaching kids the best way to approach strange dogs or indeed campaigning for better treatment of sharks (though it might be a bit weird if Madison enters).

The best three win a DVD and internet fame. It’s that simple.  All you need to do is email the image and a caption to SAT and include your name, postal address and (just in case) phone number. JPEGS preferred and higher res (eg around 1-2MB) are better. Sorry folks, only Aussie entries are eligible to win (but overseas readers are still welcome to send photos!).

SEND IN ALL ENTRIES BY AUGUST 21. Winners will be announced in the last week of August. If you've never entered anything before, now is your opportunity.

WILDLIFE AND SELFIES

Here’s an interesting newsitem: a wildlife photographer’s camera is “borrowed” by a stunning crested black macaque on location in Indonesia. During this period the macaque takes hundreds of “selfies” (philosophical question: does one need to know one is taking a SELFIE, or indeed does one need a sense of self, for it to be a selfie?). (More flippant question: can you imagine a black crested macaque singing “But first, let me take a selfie?” [thank you to Flora for pointing out thisinteresting piece of social commentry by the hopefully ironically named "Chainsmokers"]).

He edited the photo and published it with a few outlets, along with the story. Along came WikimediaCommons, absorbing the photo in its copyright free collection, on the grounds that the monkey, not the man, pushed the shutter and – presumably – has no enforceable copyright therefore the image can be used freely.

This raises a number of interesting issues. What if a child did the same thing? Would we suggest that the child had copyright and put the money away in a trust fund? Does the photographer have claim to the rights for setting up the conditions for taking the photo? (Is it all about who pushed a button? What about photographer’s assistants? Are they monkeys?).

One thing is unquestionable…this is a cracking photo and probably the best selfie I have ever seen, with the possible exception of my colleague Steve’s cat’s “selfies” of her bottom (see here). 

Farm animals, fish and animals in baby photos

A miniature cow and her calf. Its easy to forget about "the production cycle" and what goes into farming animals.

For most of us, the animals in our lives tend to be domesticated companion animals. But farm animals, or production animals, play a huge role in society. 

Their welfare is often discussed but is easy to overlook if you’re only interaction with these species is shopping for their meat or products like eggs and milk. The Coursera MOOC on Animal Behaviour and Welfare has a fantastic review of farm animal welfare this week which is worth a look even if you don’t complete the entire course. There is also extensive further reading which is a great resource whether you’re a vet, vet student or just interested. Check it out here. 

Fish Vet Dr Richmond Loh has released this helpful powerpoint presentation for the aspiring fish vet: “Gettingyour feet wet – guidance and resources for the developing aquatic veterinarian.” Dr Loh is VERY passionate about fish and is known around the world for his expertise and enthusiasm.

He argues that the world needs more fish vets – around 100,000 veterinarians, as by 2050, 50 per cent of the world’s protein will be derived from fish.

This couple spotted their neighbour’s professional photos of their newborn human offspring and had the inspired idea of doing their own “newborn” style photoshoot with their six-year old Jack Russell terrier Snuggles. Apparently Snuggles mostly snored and slept through the entire thing but the photos have taken the internet by storm. You can view them here.

I think these images are a fascinating take on the human animal bond, although so concerned was the photographer about being judged for taking them, about making light of the miracle of human birth (like homo sapiens have a monopoly on this stuff) etc., that they were hidden for eight months. I know we all worry about what others say, but I think this poor photographer worries too much as evidenced by this post.

Try shopping at Flower Powerin a Wonderwoman outfit on a Sunday morning!!! Overthink it and you end up in the foetal position in your bedroom.

How do you know your pet is old? The whole “seven dog years for one human year” is a very loose rule of thumb, but deciding when to call pets senior or geriatric is something that owners and vets have differences of opinion about. See here.

Meet Sutcliffe, the baby bearded dragon

Sutcliffe is a central bearded dragon. Getting reptile husbandry right is absolutely essential for their wellbeing. He suffered a pathological fracture of his tail, probably due to a combination of poor diet and not enough UV light.

Meet Sutcliffe, a juvenile central bearded dragon that we have been nursing. Today's post is more pictorial than anything else.

Sutcliffe has a tiny pathological fracture of his tail, probably secondary to poor husbandry including lack of UV light, so we’re supplementing him with calcium Sandoz syrup and a “matchhead” of Hill’s a/d every day.

He weighs a massive 5 grams.

We took him to SouthPenrith Veterinary Clinic to visit Dr Robert Johnson, who has written several books on reptile husbandry including this one.

Sutcliffe has his calcium sandoz syrup (diluted 1:10 in the tiniest possible amount).

Pet reptiles are very prone to metabolic bone disease so it is important to get their husbandry right. Overhandling can be part of the problem. You can read more here. We'll keep you posted on Sutcliffe's progress. Meanwhile if you're wondering about all the gloves, reptiles are known to carry salmonella so it is important to practice excellent hygiene - and don't kiss them, tempting as it may be.

Chilling (well, probably not an appropriate term to use for a reptile's preferred activity) on a leaf.

Companion animal welfare - what are the problems?

Ever wondered what happens to your papers when you send them off for peer review? This is Obi assessing some literature.

Happy Monday. As I learned from a very educational “Lynx” (alas, I mean the deodorant, not the cat) commercial last night, the average person lives through 4000 Mondays. Doesn’t seem like much when you put it that way.

If you’ve not enrolled in the Coursera Animal Behaviour and Welfare MOOC, you’re missing out. This week’s topic was a discussion of the welfare of cats and dogs: owned, strays, in shelters and even farmed for meat (often illegally). [They also discussed the welfare of companion horses and rabbits - the course is free so I recommend signing up, it takes 1-2 hours a week and is a real eye opener].

Why even bother looking at the welfare of pets? Don’t they have it great?

Well, as the instructors pointed out, there are plenty of issues we need to address. Keeping animals as pets can be associated with lack of stimulation (for the animal), behavioural problems (separation anxiety, aggression, destructive behaviour – all of which may be an animal’s way of coping with the challenges of captivity), overfeeding (especially a problem when combined with lack of exercise – which is due to owner time constraints, priorities and their own energy levels) and general lack of choice.

Cats can suffer from stress related diseases such as urinary tract diseases (these can be life-threatening, for example when the urinary tract becomes obstructed and the cat cannot urinate).

In one study they cited, 35 per cent of owners relinquished dogs to shelters because they didn’t have enough time to spend with them/look after them, and another 35 per cent of dogs were relinquished for behavioural reasons (examples cited included biting, aggression, disobedience, escaping, destructiveness, issues between new pets and old pets, house soiling and vocalisation).

It’s been said before but continues to be true: unwanted behaviours are behind more euthanasias than cancer, infectious diseases and metabolic diseases like diabetes put together. Really, it says more about us than them.

IN OTHER NEWS...

One of the nastiest parasitic diseases one can contract (though there is arguably some formidable competition out there) is hydatid disease. Tasmania was meant to be free of the hydatid tapeworm but unfortunately veterinary parasitologist David Jenkins has detected it in some dogs and livestock the Apple Isle. Read here - this info underscores the need to a) worm your dog b) prevent your pets from eating offal and c) avoid hydatid tapeworms at all costs.

The Morris Animal Foundation is hosting a webinar for pet owners on lymphoma on August 20. For more info check out their website here or register here.