Animal Health on Pitara Kids Network

What is Mad Cow Disease?

Wed, 14 Nov 2001 04:57:27 +0000

In 1996, doctors detected 10 cases of a rare and fatal human brain disease in Britain and they diagnosed that it was probably due to eating beef from animals with “mad cow disease”. Scientifically, this cow disease was termed bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE while the disease affecting humans was termed Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

The disease caused panic in Europe both among people eating beef and the farmers who were selling it. The European Union, which is the administrative body and includes all countries in Europe, responded immediately by banning imports of British beef.

Why do Dogs and Cats Eat Grass?

Sun, 22 Jul 2001 04:21:02 +0000

Cats and dogs sometimes eat grass or leaves. Have you ever wondered why these non-vegetarians should be interested in vegetarian food?

A dog eating grass

It has been found that dogs and cats use certain kinds of grass and leaves as medicine. So, if you find your pet cat is nibbling grass, it might be ill.

But, not always. It is possible that the cat has discovered some deficiency in its body. By eating grass, it is supplementing its regular diet with vitamins or minerals in the grass. Actually if you pay attention, you will notice that the cat does not eat grass the same way as it normally eats food. It keeps sniffing at different leaves and blades of grass as if it were hunting for something. And the animal begins eating only after it has found the right one. This means that it instinctively knows which is the right medicine.

Bird Flu Virus Returns to Asia

Fri, 12 Jan 2007 03:49:11 +0000

Where: China

December 18, 2008: The deadly Bird Flu virus is back, and hundreds of thousands of chickens are being culled (killed) across Asia and Africa to stop the virus from spreading. The H5N1 virus is commonly referred to as Bird Flu virus since it spreads through birds. It can be fatal for human beings, especially those that are exposed to birds such as poultry.

Bird Flu Virus Returns to Asia []

In China, over 370,000 chickens have been culled in the country’s eastern province of Jiangsu. In India, a similar exercise is happening in the western state of Bengal. The virus has also surfaced in Egypt, where it killed a little girl, and in Cambodia and Taiwan.

Lenses for Dogs

Sat, 19 Aug 2000 07:32:43 +0000

Blind dogs or dogs with eye problems can now wear special lenses to see.

Dabbu, an eleven-year-old Lhasa Apso, lost his left eye in an ugly fight with a street dog. Lately, he was losing vision in the right eye too because of a cataract. And has been stumbling around his owner’s house in Calcutta, bumping into things and being rather miserable.

Lenses for Dogs [Illustration by Shiju George]

But Dabbu was lucky. Light came back to his life after a small operation at the Moitri Vet Clinic in Calcutta. He had a lens implanted in his right eye. And now, Dabbu can see everything clearly, says a report in ‘The Telegraph’.

Orissa Police's Feathered Force is Dying

Sun, 30 May 1999 14:42:50 +0000

July 1: The news is that a mysterious disease has killed 35 valuable members of the Orissa’s police service. They are all pigeons.

The first of the deaths took place in March in Puri district. Twenty-four more pigeons died soon after, in Cuttack district. They experienced long drowsy spells before dying. The veterinary doctors who examined them said that the mysterious disease could be just the sweltering heat.

Pigeons? In this day and age? Yes, Orissa is the only state in India whose police force still employs pigeons as message carriers. And, for the last 50 years, the messengers have not faltered in their duty even once, says a report in ‘The Indian Express’ newspaper.