Curious Fife Horses

February 17, 2012

I went for a long walk through the Fife countryside today. The weather was just right for it. Cool but not cold. I didn’t see very much by way of wildlife as I was staying to the main paths. Although at one point a friendly dog came bounding over to greet me until being ...Read more

Greasy pig disease: Causes and treatments

The wonderfully named greasy pig disease (more boringly known as exudative epidermitis) is a bacterial infection that causes the skin of a pig to ooze a greasy substance. The bacterium that causes the infection is called staphylococcus hyicus, found quite normally on the skin of a pig without doing ... Read more

Pullorum in poultry: Causes, signs and treatments

Pullorum is a disease of poultry caused by a species of that very familiar nasty, the salmonella bug. It is most typically found in young birds where it is a potential killer but it can also infect older birds as well. The disease is found worldwide although it is arguably now absent in ... Read more

A review of early studies on visual perception

The study of visual perception goes back arguably as far as Ancient Greece. Occasional advances were then made through the Dark Ages and the Renaissance. But it was not until the beginnings of the experimental study of psychology, in the nineteenth century, that things started to really take off, ultimately ... Read more

West Nile virus in alpacas: Symptoms and prevention

Alpacas are one of the many creatures that can suffer from West Nile virus (WNV). This is a condition that may not produce any symptoms or just mild symptoms but in the worst cases can be deadly. At its most extreme it West Nile virus in alpacas can cause brain ... Read more

Symptoms of cat allergies in humans

Cat allergies in humans can be caused by a number of factors such as glycoproteins secreted by the cat. This over-reaction by the immune system can result in symptoms affecting the eyes and the respiratory tract, in particular. Treatment for the condition can involve minimising the contact that they ... Read more

The eating habits of octopuses

The octopus, of which there are around 300 species, is one of the most distinctive creatures on the planet, with its bulbous head, big eyes, beaked mouth, and eight suckered arms (which most people refer to as tentacles). It is a cephalopod mollusc that inhabits many different regions of the ... Read more

Mange in pets: Causes, signs and treatment

Mange is a very common form of skin disease that many pets will suffer from during their lifetime. A wide variety of pets including cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, to name but a few species, can suffer from the disease. There are also a variety of different species of parasitic mites that can infest ... Read more