Interesting Animal Facts

Leading into Summer and preparing to go on holidays, means as pet owners we need to check our destinations to see if we need to provide tick prevention to our animals.

Tick paralysis is a potentially devastating condition that can affect dogs, cats and humans.  Ticks need humidity and mild weather to develop and are not able to survive in cold climates.  Ticks are most commonly found along the east coast of Australia during the warmer months but can be found inland in suitable habitats.

Interestingly, the top names for both dogs and cats is Bella for females and Charlie for males.  Pet parents are more likely to give their dogs human names while cats names are much less restrictive. 

More unusual cat names include sweet foods such as Cookie and Biscuit or famous people like Prince Harry or grandeur names like “big cat”, Simba or Bear.

As owners we often use the word “fleas” for any itch, but would you recognise a flea from a picture or understand their cycle?

Fleas are small, wingless parasites that range in length from 2-4mm, they are brown in colour and oval in shape.  They have six, spiny legs, with powerful hindlegs for jumping.  Fleas can jump more than 200 times their body length.  They have small antennae and mouth parts for piercing and sucking.  They feed on the blood of humans and animals. 

A long-held view that koalas get all of their hydration from eating leaves has been overturned by researchers at Sydney University.

The purpose of the study is to help fight the conservation of this threatened species.  The researchers have found that koalas will regularly use artificial water stations, particularly during hot and dry conditions to supplement their hydration.