Personifying Our Pets

            Pets are amazing companions and they make some of the truest friends. They, however, don’t fill places in our lives that humans should, we, as humans shouldn’t just sell their lives, and ours short in that sense. Don’t get me wrong, I love my animals but they’re not playing a role in my life that a human should be playing. This can be disastrous to our health. They’re not acceptable alternatives to human interaction in any way shape or form. This type of relationship with animals can do more harm than good.  You don’t want to end up as the lady who owns 100 cats because she’s old and lonely.

            One thing that happens when we try to allow an animal to replace our relationships with people is hoarding. Hoarding can be emotionally and physically damaging for both people and animals. It’s a form of personal abuse on the person and a form of physical abuse and emotional abuse on the animals. By trying to fulfill a missing spot in our lives that humans should be filling, we are in turn damaging an innocent creature’s life. This isn’t fair to the animal. Animals are not people and should never be put in a place where they would be forced to take a spot that a person should. It doesn’t matter how many animals a person tries to save whatever human relationship a person is trying to compensate for or satisfy can never be enough.

            Don’t get me wrong, keeping a pet is supposed to be fun and rewarding. It’s when the line between human relationships and animal friendships is crossed that the companionship becomes destructive. Simply put, animals are not people and should never be treated like people. They can’t be expected to play that type of role. Personifying a pet is not going to make up for human interaction. They have different behaviors and motives than humans do. It’s not fair to our pets to expect them to be like us. They need to be themselves and nothing more. Think about it. Dressing our adorable pooch up in clothes might seem cute and adorable to us but that pooch is probably miserable. Humans have been wearing clothes for hundreds of thousands of years but animals have not. If we took a tribesman who is accustomed to wearing less than what we wear and placed clothes on him, he’d hate it.

            It would make him feel restricted and out of place. It is not fair to him to make him uncomfortable for societies benefit. What is normal behavior for us is not normal behavior for our pets. I know what your thinking. Why train them or teach them to listen to us? Well truth is modifying their behavior is one thing and making them more human is something completely different. Allowing or even making our animals to eat with us at the table, forcing them to watch TV with us, dressing them up, and all the other things we do to make our pets seem a little more human is unacceptable.

            These things can’t make the animal happy it’s not natural for them. If we were required to prance around on all fours, when we are made to walk upright, would be uncomfortable and at times even painful maybe. So why would we demand our pets to do things unnatural for them? Teaching them things that don’t affect their natural behavior in such a way that it makes them uncomfortable and allows us to live with them is ok. A good example of this is potty training. It isn’t a natural behavior but neither is going on the carpet. They’re used to “going” outside.  It’s when we expect them to be like us that causes severe damage. Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t pamper our pets. I’m saying there is a fine line between pampering and personifying. 

            On a more human note, this can also be damaging for us in an emotional way. On top of the hoarding issues, letting our pets play the role of some missing human counterpart is unhealthy for us. It keeps us from finding someone to fill that position in our lives whether it is a child or a significant other. We should never let our pets take place of relationships with people. Our animals can be like our children but keep in mind they aren’t our children. We can’t socialize with them in the same way as we would another human being. A pet can be a companion but never a human companion. Dealing with whatever problem causing the need for our pets to satisfy the need for human interaction should be resolved instead of overlooked.  By continuing to personify our pets, we are making the issue harder and harder to fix.  I love my pets and I’m pretty sure they love me back but I’d never place them in a role where they’d be expected to fill the “shoes” of another human being in my life.

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Ringneck Snake Care Sheet

Diadophis punctatus

Northern Ringneck Snake

Description: The Northern Ringneck Snake is shy and reclusive in its behavior. It prefers to spend its day hiding in the crevices of bark from trees or underneath areas that are moist. They only reach lengths of 12-18 inches. Ringneck’s would much rather flee than put up a fight when being captured. These little critters are not suitable for the novice herper as they can be finicky eaters and the accommodations for keeping them can vary from snake to snake.

Substrate: 1/3 Peat Moss, 1/3 Sand, 1/3 Soil placed at a depth of about 1 inch or

     Any combination suitable for a temperate forest habitat.

Housing: 10-gallon terrarium will last the reptile its entire life.

Diet: Crickets, wax worms, earthworms, and salamanders.

Temperatures: Daytime temp: 70°F - 75°F

Basking Spot: 80°F - 85°F

Nighttime temp: 65°F - 70°F

Other: Water bowl with a diameter of 3 inches and a depth of 1 inch is recommended.

            The terrarium substrate must be moist at all times. Spraying the terrarium daily with a water bottle is ideal.

            A 10-gallon terrarium is suitable for up to two snakes.

           If the snake refuses to eat try rubbing a salamander against an earthworm and then offering the earthworm.

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Antibiotic Resistance in Our Pets

Staphylococcus aureus

            You hear about how widespread use of antibiotics in humans is pressuring microorganisms to adapt and develop resistance to the drugs administered for various illnesses but are our pets suffering the same fate? When an antibiotic is administered for an infection overtime the microorganisms are selectively pressured to change in such a way that they can fight back against the drug. This occurs over a long period and depends on how often the drug is used. If the antibiotic is used consistently over time the bacteria will become unaffected by it thus continuing to cause the animal harm.

            The European Union has banned the use of Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) given to farm animals¹. This is mainly because these AGPs are pressuring the microbes to build up resistance to the AGPs. Some of the microorganisms that have been found to be resistant to these antibiotics are zoonotic. Meaning the little guys can actually make humans sick. Many of these animals are used in the food industry, which increases the risk to humans.  The point of this is prevention may not necessarily be a good thing and if farm animals can have antibiotic resistant bacteria then other animals that live by our side may have them too.

Sheep and Goat Pox

            One study found that the prevalence on Multi-drug Resistant Salmonella sp. was quite high ². The researchers used birds, fish, reptiles and mammals. They concluded that 83.3% of the birds had Salmonella sp. that are resistant to streptomycin and 100% of all other animals except fish had streptomycin resistant Salmonella sp. As you may already know, Salmonella is a health risk for humans and animals alike depending on the dosage amount.

            Another question is how exposed are our beloved pets to these antibiotic resistant microbes? Well one study indicated that one mode of transfer is through contact with other animals in a veterinary setting. Often times in small animal veterinary hospitals pets are kept as residents in the hospital; this poses a serious threat of creating a mode of transmission for microbes harmful to other animals and people. Fecal samples were taken from six cats from various small animal hospitals³.  The fecal samples were tested for various species of Enterococci. 48.9% of all the Enterococci isolated were Multi-drug resistant.  More alarming was the tests that followed. Researchers found the same isolates on the cage doors, thermometers, and stethoscopes of the corresponding small animal hospitals. This suggests a mode for these bacteria to spread to other animals. Our pets.

            Looking into the issue a little more I found that dogs seem to carry antibiotic resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus ⁴ and Enterococcus faecium ⁵. The staphylococci seemed to be resistant to methicillin and the Enterococci were resistant to ampicillin. Both types of microorganisms have the possibility of causing problems in humans. This suggests that these particular microbes may possibly be acquired outside of the hospital (veterinary or human) setting do to the widespread nature of both types of microbes.

Enterococcus faecalis

            From this information, we see that bacteria are building up resistance in many other living things. With time if antibiotics are used freely and not administered with proper care, the very problems that are affecting humans could become a huge problem for our pets too. We might find ourselves fighting not only a battle for our own health but one for our animals too. The only problem with this is many of the same microbes that are now resistant to antibiotics found in animals can cause serious illness in humans. This is a difficult situation and it is hard to evaluate the current severity of the issue because the particular information is scarce. Most of the research that I have found deals with microbes that could pose a threat to humans but I wonder about the ones that our pets can only get and how resistant these organisms are. For instance, your puppy, bird, or kitty cat might get an upper respiratory infection from a bacterium that most antibiotics will not help with. Scary thought, if you ask me.        

References

1.         Casewell, M., Friis, C., Marco, E., McMullin, P. & Phillips, I. The European Ban on Growth-Promoting Antibiotics and Emerging Consequences for Human and Animal Health. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 52, 159–161 (2003).

2.         Seepersadsingh, N. & Adesiyun, A. A. Prevalence and Antimicrobial Resistance of Salmonella spp. in Pet Mammals, Reptiles, Fish Aquarium Water, and Birds in Trinidad. Journal of Veterinary Medicine, Series B 50, 488–493 (2003).

3.         Ghosh, A., KuKanich, K., Brown, C. E. & Zurek, L. Resident Cats in Small Animal Veterinary Hospitals Carry Multi-Drug Resistant Enterococci and are Likely Involved in Cross-Contamination of the Hospital Environment. Front Microbiol 3, (2012).

4.         Epstein, C. R., Yam, W. C., Peiris, J. S. M. & Epstein, R. J. Methicillin-resistant commensal staphylococci in healthy dogs as a potential zoonotic reservoir for community-acquired antibiotic resistance. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 9, 283–285 (2009).

5.         Damborg, P. et al. Dogs Are a Reservoir of Ampicillin-Resistant Enterococcus Faecium Lineages Associated with Human Infections. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 75, 2360–2365 (2009).

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Monitors: The mind of a lizard genius?

Most of the time when we think of intelligence we consider animals like mammals or birds. Don’t get me wrong, dogs and parrots are smart but is there another group of animals that their shrewdness is overlooked? Some species of reptile are highly intelligent and capable of solving complex issues. One of the most cunning groups of reptiles is the monitor lizards. These animals are capable of feats that once were thought to be doable only by mammals and birds.

Lizards have to have a strong ability to change with their environments and a huge part of that is having the ability to learn.  They must be able to figure out complex issues in the wild so that they can survive. Lizards need to remember a map of their territory in order to know where and when to find their food. One experiment with Anoles proved that they will, in fact, distinguish between two different colored spheres to find food ¹. This indicated that Anole's have an innate ability to learn where a food source is located. Another study was conducted with Tuatara lizards and lights ². The lizards were subjected to a steady light and a blinking light. One of the lights would reward them with food. The other one would not. In just a few trials the lizards picked up on the light that provided food. I’ve seen something similar to this with a Savannah Monitor named Tigger. 

 

Tigger associated a dark cylinder with food. In the hollow tube were crickets and when the tube entered his cage, food would fall from the tube. After a little while of feeding him this way, he would come out of his hide when the tube would enter the cage. Tigger would attack the tube and chase after it to get his food. This form of learning is known as classical conditioning. Tigger associated his hunger with the dark, hollow, cylindrical tube that gave him crickets. This particular occasion is what ignited my interest in the learning abilities of monitor lizards.

In one study, two Rough Neck Monitors and a Komodo Dragon were evaluated on reversal learning abilities ². The monitors were given a choice between a black or white stimulus. One would have a food reward and the other would not. After a set amount of time the researcher would change the color that would give a food reward. It didn’t take long at all for the monitors to start picking the other color that provided food.

Monitors also have the ability to learn from other monitors². A good example of this is if a monitor see’s another monitor get attack by an eagle because it was running across an open field it will travel along the wooded area instead to avoid being eaten. This is known as observational learning. This is an important adaptation for survival in the wild. It allows the animal to avoid errors that are made by others of its species.

A few studies focused on a lizards ability to visually discriminate from something that is real and something that isn’t ². A video display of male lizard during mating season was shown to captive lizards. The captive lizards would show mating aggression and displays to the video version of other male lizards of the same species. This indicated that the lizards could not visually discriminate between a real lizard and one that was on a screen.

Monitor lizards have the ability to be trained to do certain tasks. One of the easiest things to teach a monitor lizard is target training. We can shape their behavior in such a way that by touching a target they will get a food reward. A zoo has trained a Komodo Dragon to get up on a log and sit patiently while it is being examined by a veterinarian³. Komodo Dragons are also known to “play” with different toys for no benefit other than to just have fun. A good movie that illustrates the intelligence level of monitor lizards is Lizard Kings: On the Trail of Monitor Lizards.

Monitors are intelligent and crafty. They may not have the same abilities as mammals or birds but they can learn new things. When I look into the eyes of a monitor lizard, I see an animal that is looking back in such a way that the monitor is trying to figure me out. It’s not a glance rather a deep stare into who or what I am. We should give lizards more intellectual credit than we do.

 

 

ReptileRanger.com teaches how to target train a monitor lizard

References

1.         Leal, M. & Powell, B. J. Behavioural Flexibility and Problem-Solving in a Tropical Lizard. Biol. Lett. 8, 28–30 (2012).

2.         Vonk, J. & Shackelford, T. K. The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Evolutionary Psychology. (Oxford University Press: 2012).

3.         Kaufmann, G. Lizard Kings: On the Trail of Monitor Lizards. (PBS: 2009).

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