The general population thinks of cowboys, Quarter Horses, rattlesnakes, Brahma bulls, and Longhorn steers when they think about the livestock and pets typically found in the Lone Star State. When they think of pets they probably think of Australian Heelers, Heinz fifty-seven mixes, barn cats, and other ranch related working animals. What you probably don't think of is English Cocker Spaniels. You should. Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine just announced that they have a new genetic test for Familial Nephropathy in English Cocker Spaniels. Familial Nephropathy is an inherited renal disease that is recessive. Breeders of English Cocker Spaniels have been aware of Familial Nephropathy for more them fifty years. Typical symptoms of Familial Nephropathy are excessive drinking, excessive urination, the dog is suddenly loosing weight because they don't have much of an appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. Most signs of Familial Nephropathy start to show up when the dog is somewhere between six and twenty-four months old. Dogs that are going to develop Familial Nephropathy are difficult to predict because they are born with two completely normal kidneys. As the dog grows and develops the kidneys start to deteriorate from the lack of a certain type of collagen. Familial Nephropathy is normally fatal. Because it is a genetic disorder most pet health insurance plans will not cover the cost of any treatments the dog owners wish to pursue. In addition to researching Familial Nephropathy Texas A&M University sees over 11,500 small animals a year. That is 11,500 pet owners that could have saved money by purchasing a pet health care policy for their family pet. Some pet owners in the state of Texas like snakes, the more exotic the snake is the happier the pet owner. Like with all pets there are certain health care needs that snakes have that other pets do not. Typical snake health care issues can be respiratory infections, eye infections, mite infestation, metabolic bone disease, abscesses, belly burns, and parasites. The problem with pet snakes and other pet reptiles is that signs of health care issues are not as easy to identify as with their mammal counterparts.



A big part of maintaining the health and well being of your pet snake is finding a veterinarian. One of the first things you need to do when selecting a veterinarian for your snake is making sure they are comfortable around snakes. The reality of the world is that everybody has phobia and lots of people are phobic about snakes. If your veterinarian is uncomfortable handling your treasured snake they will not be able to accurately diagnosis any health problems it might be having. In addition to the typical dogs, cats and horses, many Texans also have exotic pets such as ferrets, wallabies, glider squirrels, and Coatimundi's. People who purchase exotic pets should realize that the more exotic the pet the harder it is going to be to find the proper veterinary care and the more the veterinary care is going to cost. Before you purchase an exotic pet you might want to research how much you could potentially spend on veterinary care during the pets life time and find out if it is possible to purchase a pet health insurance plan.