As with anything mechanical, it is important to keep your treadmill well maintained to ensure that it remains trouble free.  Fitness Equipment, when used regularly, is often put under quite a lot of strain and therefore it is important to keep it well maintained.  Maintenance of your treadmill can be as simple as cleaning it on a regular basis and keeping it well lubricated.  Treadmills are expensive, so to make the most of your purchase you should keep them well maintained.

Here are a few tips to help keep your treadmill in shape:

Keep the Belt well lubricated
Treadmill Lubricant is a cheap and easy way to maintain your treadmill.  By purchasing a small bottle of treadmill lubricant you can keep your belt lubricated and efficient.

Think about where you put your treadmill
It may sound obvious, but the location of your treadmill can often have a say in the life span of it.  The treadmill should be placed on solid, level ground.  You should also keep your treadmill away from areas of dirt which could include dust, pet hair or even food!  Many people also put their treadmill on a mat to help keep the area under the treadmill clean and create a slight cushion to ease impact and protect your floor.

Keeping your treadmill clean
Again, it may seem obvious, but its important to keep your treadmill clean.  If you motor gets clogged up with dust it is likely that it could end up over working and burning out, meaning an expensive replacement motor.  When keeping your treadmill clean you should simply wipe it down with water.  Don’t use any cleaning fluids, simply wipe down with a damp cloth.  When cleaning the treadmill make sure it is unplugged!  Where possible you should wipe the treadmill down on a regular basis, perhaps once or twice a month.

Keep the treadmill belt aligned
If you use your treadmill on a regular basis it is possible that the belt might become misaligned or off centre.  This usually happens if there the treadmill user favours one leg over the other hence more weight is applied to one side. If the belt becomes misaligned if could damage the motor, which could mean an expensive replacement.

It doesn’t take much to keep your treadmill clean and lubricated, but it’s important if you want to extend the life of the equipment and make the most out of your purchase.  Regular maintenance also reduces expensive engineer call outs.

Keeping Koi supplies close at hand will keep your Koi fish ownership experience more stress free and pleasant. It’s smart to stock up on all supplies even if they are not used on a daily basis.

The water in the pond will need to be replenished from time to time. Tap water is generally what is used.

Harming your Koi can be avoided by using a dechlorinator as it will help to rid any harmful chemicals in the tap water. Be sure to read the directions carefully.

It is best to check nitrate and ph levels daily. Koi owners can purchase test kits at almost any quality pet store. You should always keep pond salt and baking soda on hand. These items are used to regulate the nitrate and ph levels whenever the testing shows them to be “off”. You want to keep the water well oxygenated. This will keep your fish happy and content.

There are many ways to oxygenate your Koi pond. Placing a fountain or waterfall in your pond will accomplish this as well as producing a serene and tranquil setting for you, the owner of the Koi pond.

When you install a fountain or waterpump in your pond remember that neither will replace the water pump. Removing unwanted waste and pollutants is necessary and will keep your Koi healthy and happy.

Filters are designed to maintain water quality and require a pump to keep the water moving through them to be effective. A good filtration system is neccesary in the pond you are building to keep the koi healthy. so once again let me emphasize that you should get a high quality water pump.

Let’s talk about the food. There are a wide variety of types and it’s important to always keep a good supply on hand. The koi will learn to eat out of your hand with patience.

Snacks and special treats are also good to have on hand as long as you keep them fresh. You should have a net installed for protection against predators and it should be securely placed over your pond.

Koi fish are highly visable with all of their bright colors. If you’re able to build your koi pond under a tree it will help prevent flying predators like cranes, kingfishers and the dreaded heron from changing your pond from beautiful to empty!

Creating overhangs high enough all around the pond will help stop cats, foxes, racoons and badgers from helping themselves to a meal. A properly placed net will also keep leaves and debris from blowing into your koi pond.

Such debris will quickly gum up the works of all the electronic devices and filters used to enhance the environment for your Koi . There is considerable effort and thought that needs to go into a Koi pond.

With their magnificent colors and calming ways the Koi are magnificient fish. Adding a fountain or waterfall is well worth the effort and should give you years of enjoyment when sitting by your Koi fish pond.

Remember do not run out of the necessary Koi supplies!

Having Birds as Pets: Responsible Ownership of Pet Birds

There are a lot of people who think that if you want to have a pet bird, it is  like buying it and sticking it in  a cage. Owning pet birds is not just feeding them when necessary and sometimes changing their paper. You have to be very responsible if you have decided to keep birds as pets. Even if you consider to give them some bird toys, it does not mean that you will have healthy and happy pet bird.It is a great responsibility and if you really want to acquire a companion, think in advance whether you are able to handle.

Before you start, consider a few things which are important if you intend to have a pet bird and after that you have to make the final decision to keep birds as pets or to choose a different type of pet.

Think about the cost

Depending on what pet bird you are going to have and how big it is, the expenses are different. For example, the larger the cage is the more expensive it is. Also there are other supplies, be ready to pay for some additional things.

Not only the cage, the same is with the food- the larger your pet bird is the more food you will need for it. Probably you think that all this sounds really expensive and you are right, do not forget that there are also toys and maintenance of the cage, all of them very important.

There are unexpected costs, for vets ,for example, who are maybe not very helpful with birds and you have to seek for an avian specialist who is very expensive.

Think about the time

You may think that you do not have free time to have a dog so you’d better have a pet bird because they do not require a lot of attention. You are wrong! Some people even do not have time for a nap, they will not have enough time for pets, either. For good bird health it is very important to handle them and play with them as much as you can.

Think about the space

Also there are a lot of people who think that birds do not require a lot of space and they are wrong again. The bigger your bird is the bigger space it needs, so be ready to move out some furniture. They also need to fly so if you do not have space for it, you’d better reconsider the things.

But do not forget the great advantage of having a pet bird- you can have a friend for life if you look after them properly, they are real characters and they bring joy and color in your home. Also they live long and they are commitment for a long period.

If you have carpet in your home, you want to keep it looking as nice as possible. This means your carpets will need to be cleaned from time to time. Vacuuming is important too, but some deep cleaning is important. If you have dirty carpet, the dirt will end up wearing away at the fiber of the carpet, which makes your carpets wear faster and look bad faster. Of course, you may be wondering how often you should be cleaning your carpets in the first place.

There are actually several different factors to consider when you are trying to figure out how often to clean your home. First of all, consider the number of people in your home. If there are only a couple people in the home, you can wait longer between cleaners. However, a home that has four or more people should be cleaned at least twice a year.

If you smoke, you’ll want to have your carpets cleaned more often. Usually it’s best to clean it about every four months or so in this case. Another factor is whether or not you have small children. If you do, you probably have spills on a regular basis, this could mean you need to clean more often than every six months. Pets are a factor to consider too. With pets, you’ll want to do the home at least twice or more each year, and if you have pets and some little kids, every 3-4 months is probably a good idea.

Of course, these ideas aren’t always absolute. If you start to notice that there are dark areas on the carpet at any point in time, it’s a good idea to call the cleaners to have the carpets taken care of. If you wait too long, you’ll do more damage to the carpets, so you shouldn’t wait if your carpets look very soiled and dark.

Now that you now how often you should clean your carpets, you may want to know how to choose a good carpet cleaner. There are definitely several things to consider. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you make your selection:

Method and Equipment Used for Cleaning – There are different methods and types of equipment used for cleaning carpets. Check to see what methods the cleaners use and do a bit of research to find out which method is going to work best in your home.

Check out the Price – It’s also a good idea to check out the price of cleaning your carpets. Sometimes you can find some great deals if you look around and compare prices. Just makes sure that you don’t sacrifice quality for the price.

Bonded and Insured – Any cleaners you call out to do your home should be bonded and insured. You never know what could go wrong if there is a problem you want to make sure that you aren’t out money if there are any damages. Never hire a cleaning service that is not bonded and insured.

Get References – It may take a bit of homework on your part, but get some references from the cleaners. They should be happy to give you references. Make sure that you get positive comments from the references you call. Consider checking with the Better Business Bureau as well to see if there are complaints or if they have a good record.

Cleaning your home carpets is important. Clean carpets look better, cut down on sickness, and help to preserve the value of your home. So make sure that you clean them on a regular basis to keep them looking beautiful.

There are over 71 million dogs in the US with 63% of American households owning at least one.  Half of these households have more than one dog and 45% of these dogs are 40 lbs or larger.  By every indication, the trend in increased pet ownership will continue and by offering a pet friendly community to potential residents you appeal to a broader demographic thereby increasing your competitiveness in the housing market.  However, all of these dogs can add up to a lot of disgusting waste, detracting from the beauty of your community, increasing resident complaints and causing a headache for landscapers, building maintenance and community management.  In addition to being disgusting, if pet waste is not cleaned up on a regular basis, it can breed flies, kill grass and transmit disease. 

In an effort to minimize the issue of pet waste, many communities implement breed restrictions, weight limits or both.  Some communities simply prohibit pets. Those communities that allow dogs usually have rules requiring owners to pick up after their pets but while most dog owners are conscientious it only takes an irresponsible few to “soil” the reputation of all dogs and their owners.  The reality that many community managers soon face is that enforcement of pet policies is difficult at best, ineffective at worst, always expensive, and usually strains relationships within the community. 

Many community management professionals find that the most effective approach to the pet waste problem is implementation of a 3 part program.  This program consists of; 1) policy enforcement and education, 2) pet waste station installation and 3) regular cleaning of high use and neglected areas. 

This comprehensive approach encourages residents by providing them with the tools they need to conveniently clean up after their pets and discourages “re-soiling” by regularly cleaning high use and neglected areas (those favorite spots where owners either fail to clean up after their pet, won’t clean up after their pet or are frequented by stray and unleashed dogs).  As a last resort, the program provides Management with the means to enforce community regulations. 

The cornerstone of any comprehensive pet waste program is the implementation, education and enforcement of a reasonable pet policy.  But since studies show that a significant number of pet owners (over 40%) will not pick up after their dogs, even with the threat of fine or complaints by neighbors, a second and third layer of effort are required to help control pet waste. 

The second part of a comprehensive community pet waste program is the Pet Waste Station.  Pet Waste Stations are a convenient and attractive way to provide your residents with the tools they need to hygienically pickup after their pet and dispose of the waste.  Pet Waste Stations are available in a wide variety of models and price ranges but normally consist of a waste bag dispenser, stocked with biodegradable bags, mounted with a disposal bin. 

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A pet waste cleanup professional can assist you in determining what type of station would be most appropriate for your facility and can advise you on placement and complete the installation.  More importantly, a pet waste cleanup professional can regularly service your pet waste stations, on a schedule customized to suit your particular needs, replenishing bags and cleaning the bin, to ensure your pet waste station remains an effective and attractive tool in your community maintenance program.  The cost of installing and servicing pet waste stations, as well as your entire pet waste control program, can easily be recovered from pet deposits and fees.

Finally, the third part of a comprehensive pet waste management program is ensuring that high use and neglected areas are regularly and thoroughly cleaned.  Heavily soiled areas of any community will repeatedly attract stray and loose dogs.  These areas should be routinely cleaned of all pet waste, disinfected if needed and have an organic odor eliminator applied to reduce the attraction to dogs.  Here again, a pet waste cleanup professional can assist you by providing regularly scheduled cleaning, disinfecting and odor elimination. 

So to attract the most desirable residents to your community by maintaining a healthy, attractive facility free of pet waste, without the headaches, complaints and strained relations that are usually associated with the “enforcement only” approach to dogs and their owners, consider implementing a comprehensive pet waste cleanup program consisting of Pet Waste Stations, routine cleanup and if absolutely necessary, enforcement of regulations.  A Pet Waste Cleanup professional can assist you in solving your dog waste problems for far less than you may think.

If you do choose to hire a professional pet waste cleanup service as part of your comprehensive program ensure they use all natural products that are safe around children and animals, that the waste bags used are biodegradable, that they disinfect their tools and shoes prior to servicing your facility, and that they are fully bonded and insured.

Last year turned out to be the worst in history for pet food recalls. While there is no way to be 100% certain that a pet food is not tainted or will be recalled, there are some red flags to look for when selecting your dog’s or cat’s food. Avoiding these common pet food ingredients can greatly improve your odds in purchasing a healthy, safe pet food.

Judging the safety or the nutritional value of a pet food starts by ignoring the advertising, the price of the pet food, and ignoring the front of the bag. The real signs to the safety of a dog food or cat food lie on the back or side of the bag or can in the ‘Ingredient Listing’. Regardless of what marketing terms (‘choice’, ‘premium’, and so on) are on the front of the bag or can of pet food, a pet owner cannot determine the quality or how safe the food is unless they look at the ingredients. With dry foods there can be 90 different ingredients (or more), with canned foods there can be 50 or more different ingredients. But don’t panic…you don’t have to understand hundreds of different pet food ingredients! You just need to be aware of a few key ingredients…pet food ingredients that you do NOT want to see in a dog food or cat food (or treats).

‘Wheat Gluten’, ‘Corn Gluten’, or ‘Rice Gluten’. These three ingredients were the bad boy pet food ingredients of 2007. Tainted glutens were found to be the cause of thousands of dogs and cats becoming ill and dying. It is not that glutens themselves are toxic to pets – these ingredients have been used in pet foods for years. The problem was the source or manufacturer of the glutens – imported from countries with far less quality standards than in the US. (The majority of glutens used in the US pet foods are from imported sources.) These imported glutens contained added chemicals that caused crystals to form in the kidneys of dogs and cats.

Not only is it important to avoid dog foods and cat foods (and dog and cat treats) that contain glutens because of the possibility of dangerous added chemicals, it is important because they add no real quality nutrition to the food. Glutens are used as a thickener AND as a source of protein in pet food. Adult maintenance dog foods must provide a minimum of 18% protein, adult maintenance cat foods must provide a minimum of 26% protein. If the meat source of the pet food does not provide enough protein, glutens are often added to boost the protein level of the pet food. The best nutrition for your pet comes from a meat protein pet food not from a gluten protein. Avoid dog foods and cat foods (and treats) that contain ‘corn gluten’, ‘wheat gluten’, or ‘soy gluten’.

‘By Products’. By-products have never been the cause of a pet food recall, but they are definitely ingredients you want to avoid feeding your pet. To give you an understanding of by-products, I’d like to compare this pet food ingredient to pies – you know, the dessert! How many different types of pies you can think of? There are apple pies, cherry pies, chocolate pies, meringue pies, meat pies, mud pies, pie in math, cow pies (yuck!) – I think you get my point. Now imagine if you purchased yourself a prepared ravioli dinner at the grocery and you looked at the ingredients and you see ‘pie’ listed as the first ingredient in your dinner. Hmmm, pie in ravioli – what kind of pie? You wouldn’t know if it was apple pie or mud pie or even cow pie. All you would know is that your dinner contained ‘pie’. Considering ‘pie’ could be anything from apple pie to cow pie – my guess is that you wouldn’t be having ravioli for dinner. Same thing with by-products in pet food.

AAFCO (American Association of Feed Control Officials – the organization responsible for all animal feed manufacturing rules and regulations) defines by-products as “meat by-products is the non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth, and hoofs. It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto.”

So, with respect to pet food – a by-product is a catch-all ingredient name. All left over meat materials from the human food industry are clumped into one ingredient name – by-product. There is NO certainty of what you are feeding – one batch of pet food might be more intestine by-products while the next batch of pet food might be more liver or bone by-products. There is NO way of knowing what is actually contained in the pet food ingredient by-product (the pet food manufacturers themselves couldn’t tell you exactly). Avoid dog foods and cat foods (and treats) that contain By-products of any kind…Chicken By-Products, Beef By-Products, Chicken By-Product Meal, Beef By-Product Meal, and so forth.

‘Meat Meal’, ‘Meat and Bone Meal’, or ‘Animal Digest’. These three ingredients are similar to by-products. AAFCO defines Meat and Bone Meal as “the rendered product from mammal tissues, including bone, exclusive of any added blood, hair, hoof, horn, hide trimmings, manure, stomach and rumen contents, except in such amounts as may occur unavoidably to good processing practices.” Again, a catch all ingredient name for the left-over parts of animals used for human food. No consistency to what is contained in these ingredients (all three of these pet food ingredient definitions are similar) – no way of knowing what is actually in your pet’s food. Avoid dog foods, cat foods, and dog and cat treats that contain ‘meat meal’, ‘meat and bone meal’, or ‘animal digest’.

‘Animal Fat’. In 2002 the FDA tested many different brands of dog food (cat food was not tested) for the presence of the drug pentobarbital. Many brands of dog food tested positive to contain the drug. Pentobarbital is the drug used to euthanize dogs, cats, cattle, and horses.

How can the drug that is used to euthanize animals be found in pet food? The answer – euthanized animals are rendered (cooked) and the end ingredients are placed in pet food. It has long been rumored that euthanized dogs and cats (from animal shelters and veterinarian offices) is the major source of the pentobarbital in pet food. However no one has been able to prove or disprove this rumor to date. The FDA/CVM (Center for Veterinary Management) developed testing methods on two separate occasions to determine the species source of the drug. No results have ever been determined. The pet food manufacturers adamantly deny they use rendered dogs or cats – but NO clinical evidence has ever been released to confirm the pentobarbital is from euthanized cattle and horses in pet food as they claim.

However, the one thing the FDA/CVM has determined through their testing is the pet food ingredient ‘animal fat’ is the most common ingredient to contain pentobarbital. In other words, if you are feeding a dog food or cat food (or treats) with the ingredient ‘animal fat’ in the ingredient listing – you are (more than likely) feeding your pet euthanized animals. Not every batch of pet food tested that contained the ingredient ‘animal fat’ has proved to contain pentobarbital – but why would any pet owner want to take the chance? Avoid dog foods, cat foods, and dog and cat treats that contain the ingredient ‘animal fat’.

‘BHA’, ‘BHT’, ‘TBHQ’, and ‘Ethoxyquin’. These pet food ingredients are chemical preservatives and you might have to look through the entire ingredient list to find them. It is worth the look because there is plenty of clinical evidence to associate all four of these chemical preservatives with cancer and tumors (simply do a Google search on any one of these chemicals). All four of these chemical preservatives are rarely used to preserve human food and if so, are used in quantities far less than what is allowed in pet food. Avoid any dog food, cat food, or dog and cat treat that contains ‘BHA’, ‘BHT’, ‘TBHQ’, and ‘Ethoxyquin’ on the label.

‘Corn’, ‘Wheat’, ‘Soy’. While there is no scientific evidence that proves these ingredients are dangerous to pets – they are potentially dangerous ingredients associated with recalls in the past (1995, 1999, and 2005). These grains are highly prone to a deadly mold (aflatoxin). It is suggested (by AAFCO) that all pet food manufacturers test grains for the mold, but as recalls of the past have proven – that doesn’t always happen. I do not think these ingredients are as risky as others mentioned above, but they are ingredients I avoid for my own pets.

There is more to selecting a true healthy pet food for your dog or cat than avoiding the above mentioned ingredients. This is just a start – based on pet food history, AAFCO ingredient definitions, science and opinion of many pet food experts including myself. There are many quality pet foods available that do NOT use the above ingredients and that add health promoting ingredients to their foods and treats. Continue to learn as much as you can about what you are feeding your pet and ALWAYS read the labels!

Arctic Cat parts are available at brick and mortar dealers and online warehouses. The Arctic Cat snowmobile has long been a popular snow sled that has millions of devoted fans throughout the world. With its catchy feline model names such as, Black Panther, Thundercat, FireCat, SaberCat and Jaguar, Arctic Cat snowmobiles have captured the imagination of snow sled enthusiasts for almost fifty years. With such treasured investments, snowmobilers will be well advised to purchase genuine Arctic Cat parts.

Only with regular maintenance of your new or used sled will it continue to operate just teh way you expect it to…purring like a new cat right off the showroom floor. If it sounds like a lot of work, it’s not. Just check your owner’s manual for the regular maintenance schedule. Get started on getting to know your sled from the first day that you own it and future repairs will be painless and fun.

New, OEM Arctic Cat parts will produce the best performance and increased horsepower for your premium snowmobiles. These high performance snow sleds offer exciting and fun filled ways to discover, and appreciate the great outdoors. Many snowmobilers have traversed through frozen lakes, snow packed trails and deep powder, combining thrills with a newfound discovery of wintery landscapes. Keeping these sleds operational with authentic Arctic Cat parts is vital to a safe and enjoyable ride.

Arctic Cat parts and snowmobiles remain on the cutting edge of snowmobile technology, featuring unique laydown engines, twin-spar chassis and the environmentally friendly 4-stroke parallel twin engine. When on the trail, it is a good idea to pack extra Arctic Cat parts in case of breakdowns that can be remedied with a quick part replacement. Snowmobile experts recommend a repair kit stocked with the necessary tools, extra spark plugs, belts and assorted bolts and screws.

Thinking about doing your own used snowmobile maintenance on your Arctic Cat? Look to the dealer’s and manufacturer’s web sites for authorized repair manuals. If ever in doubt about proper procedures, do not attempt the repair yourself, but instead take it to a local Arctic Cat Dealer or Mechanic for expert repair and warranty on service.

New Arctic Cat parts and snowmobiles for the upcoming year are expected to be turbocharged offering an extra kick of horsepower approaching levels past 177. These super premium machines are expected to lead the way in the next generation of snowmobile design. With its environmental concerns and advances in racing technology, Arctic cat parts, snowmobiles and ATVs are sure to continue to dominate the winter sports market.

Regardless of the age of your snowmobile, there are sure to be original and OEM parts for your sled. In the off chance that you’ve got a model for which you absolutely cannot find replacement parts, be certain to look around in your area to ask for used snowmobile yards where you can salvage the parts that you need. Many snowmobile clubs also have a parts swap area of their web page or newsletter. When in doubt, ask an old-timer for their expert opinion on your repair to keep your Arctic Cat Purring like new.