Monday, December 5, 2011

I've been working on a project at work.  You see we get field trips in every now and then and it use to be one of us would walk with the group giving out all kinds of facts about the animals.  Well the field trips still come in but we no longer walk around with them.  So I'm creating a book for the teachers to use with all sorts of interesting animal facts they can share with their students.

I was a little stumped as to what I should put in for the fish since most the information would be a little too long and drawn out for little ones.  While just say here are the fresh water fish, here are the salt water fish seemed way to boring.

So I went to chat with our fish guy and here are some interesting facts he shared with me.

Fish have been on Earth for over 450 million years long before the dinosaurs roamed the planet.
The largest fish in the world is the whale shark which can reach 50 feet long and the smallest is the Philippine Goby which is less then 1/3 of an inch as an adult
Though only .01% of the earth is fresh water, 40% of all fish species is a fresh water fish.
Some species of fish have little or no bones only cartilage ...think Shark


Well I still would like a few more interesting facts but this is what I have to start with. If you know of any fun fish facts that would interest preschoolers or kindergarteners let me know.... Okay?

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Hypothermia in Pets

There are many pet owners who think that because their pets have fur coats they are well adapted to the cold weather.  Unfortunately it is a false belief that can kill your pet.

Some pets Are well adapted to the icy cold of winter time.  Large and medium long haired dogs can spend a great deal of time outside and be perfectly happy.  While small dogs and cats will feel the cold a lot quicker.

Would you recognize if your beloved best friend was being severely affected by the cold?  Hypothermia, or a body temperature that is below normal, is a condition that occurs when an animal is not able to keep her body temperature from falling below normal. Here are some of the signs of hypothermia, just in case you left you pet out a little too long:

Mild Case
 shivering 
depression
lethargy
 weakness. 

More Serious: 
Stiff muscles
slow heart rate
slow breathing
Not responding to stimuli

If your pet is showing any of these signs wrap him up in a warm blanket consider a heating bottle wrapped in a towel to help warm him up.  Then call your vet immediately.  

Of course prevention is the best medicine so go outside with your pet.  If you start feeling cold then they probable are too.  Thought with very small pets go in before you feel cold.