Cheap Insurance Reviews

In caring for our pet’s health, we should be aware of the possible diseases that can affect them. Just like human beings, dogs can come down with a variety of illnesses. It’s important that you get pet insurance. The most serious canine diseases include rabies, distemper and parvovirus. This article will provide an overview of these afflictions.

Rabies. Although commonly associated with dogs, this disease can affect any warm blooded animal including humans. Rabies is caused by a virus called lyssa virus. This virus attacks the nervous systems which is why rabid dogs go mad and become very dangerous. Mad dogs are very aggressive and no longer recognize their owners so they will just bite anyone. When an animal is infected by rabies, the virus travels through muscle tissue on its way to infect the brain. Once the nervous system is infected, it spreads to the skin and saliva. The dog bite now becomes very contagious because the saliva carries the virus.

Distemper. This is a dreaded disease also caused by a virus called canine distemper virus or CDV. It affects the central nervous system, respiratory system and gastrointestinal system of the animal. Puppies under 6 months of age are very susceptible to this disease and the disease will most likely be fatal. Vaccination has kept the number of cases of distemper under control for domestic dogs. Distemper can also affect other carnivorous mammals like raccoons and foxes. It is quite common in wildlife. The distemper virus particles can travel by air and is contracted by dogs just by inhalation. Symptoms include loss of appetite and fever. Dogs that die due to this disease mostly succumb to neurological complications.

Parvovirus. As the name suggests, this highly contagious disease is caused by a virus which we call canine parvo virus or CPV. Modern vaccines have already been developed but research shows some vaccinated dogs still contract the disease. This is due to the fact that there are other variations of the virus which the vaccine cannot deal with. The most characteristic symptom of this disease is severe or bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms include fever and vomiting. CPV can be transmitted by the infected feces of the dog. Any object or furniture that comes in contact with the virus can also become a source of infection. Some studies have shown that larger breeds such as Labradors and Rottweilers are more susceptible to parvovirus and that puppies under 6 months are the most vulnerable.

Everybody knows the petrol we pump into our automobiles come from crude oil. Naturally, we start complaining whenever we hear news about crude oil prices going up again. More than just the petrol in our fuel tanks, almost everything else is also affected by crude oil prices.

First of all, other types of fuels are directly affected. Expect your heating bill to go up. Natural gas for home heating also comes from the same source as your petrol. If you do not drive your own vehicle, you still cannot escape higher transportation costs. Public vehicles also consume the same fuel as private cars.

How about the commuter train that runs on electricity? Sad to say, electricity will also rise given higher fuel costs. Majority of power plants still do not use renewable energy. Diesel fired power plants consume diesel fuel to produce electricity.

All sorts of transport are affected by fuel prices. This means buying an airline ticket for that next vacation will become more expensive. Many airlines already started to add fuel surcharges on top of regular air fares. Water transport is not exempt, from the smallest boats, to ferries, to cruise ships. These vehicles also burn petrol or diesel in their engines.

The cost of food will also increase. Farmers don’t plant and harvest by hand. They use tractors to farm. The food they produce will be transported by trucks and factories that process food will have machinery that needs fuel or electricity.

Many other consumer products are directly affected by crude oil prices. Plastic and rubber for instance are categorized as petrochemical products. That’s right, petro is for petroleum. Petroleum means it comes from crude oil. So take a look around and see how much plastic and rubber are used in the items we use everyday. Chances are, the mouse you are clicking with is made of plastic. The computer keyboard is made of plastic. That mobile phone you are using is made of plastic.

Given the fact that almost all commerce involves some mode of transportation, it will become more expensive to operate a business when fuel prices go up. Thus everything is at least indirectly affected by rising fuel costs. This means companies will have to raise prices for their goods and services sooner or later. Banking institutions and companies who sell car insurance will also feel the higher cost of doing business. Even your cleaning lady and local plumber have to charge you more for their services because they cannot survive the higher cost of everything they have to spend on.