Animals Unfolded

Fish are commonly kept as pets, though they don't seem to get the same amount of visibility when it comes to their care and overall needs. It doesn't seem fair that they need be inured by that notion.  I was doing research for another piece on aquatic animals when I had the realization that perhaps I should focus on one core facet of their care that seems to be ignored: what they eat (or should be eating). Pet food is something that comes up often when I'm chatting with those that share life with dogs, cats and birds, but with fish, never.  In my research, I discovered that there's a lot of information out there — pet stores, books and yes, the internet — and too much of it seemed questionable, so I decided to dig a bit deeper by seeking a reliable source. Aquarist veterinarian Dr. Charlie Gregory has always been fascinated by the ocean and what goes on beneath the surface. And in a conversation with him, his enthusiasm about the creatures that inhabit a wo...

Flickr photo by genista When I'm on a meet and greet with a new family, there are always a lot of specifics when it comes to taking care of dogs, cats, exotic birds — and even some amphibians. Along the way, it's not been uncommon at the end of the visit for client to say "Oh, I forgot about the goldfish . Could you give them a little food each day? They're my son's — he won them at the carnival last year and they're still plugging along, believe it it not." I usually make good notes on a clients file if this is the case, and ask more questions. I usually hear a quick chuckle at that notion, but I know all too well feeding fish a specific amount of food is crucial. Overfeeding is never a good idea; too much food can contaminate the water, as well as create a higher output of waste. And being flippant as to whether they have enough food, well to me, that's just cruel. It's my philosophy that caring for a goldfish is as important as prop...

Did you see this? A resourceful dog - a chocolate lab named Honey - satisfied her penchant for fresh fish after the Skokomish river near Seattle, WA flooded. The fish were, as you can see, were frantically swimming across the roadway and Honey promptly sauntered over, picked up a salmon and took off with it. Check out the video . While I was at it, I found some more video of a yellow lab having a ball on a fishing trip, too. Enjoy! Lorrie Shaw is a dog walker and owner of Professional Pet Sitting , and is a regular contributor to AnnArbor.com's pet section with her blog, More Than Four Walls , where she also wrote the popular blog post, " Take your dog to work day, 2010: A tale of two local dogs ". Reach her via e-mail and follow her on Twitter @psa2