Introduction
Taking care of a puppy can be hectic. This is more so when one is clueless on how to raise one. Puppies are often weaned at eight to ten weeks, thus it is preferable to buy or adopt a puppy once it is weaned. When considering acquiring a puppy one must be well prepared and informed. The familial history of the puppy, if available, is important as it gives inherent traits of the puppy. Apparently, it is imperative to learn how to raise a puppy as this determines what kind of a dog the puppy will become. This paper seeks to highlight the most important steps to take in order to raise a good and healthy puppy.
Steps
The following are the key steps to take before and after bringing the puppy home:
- Proofing the house.
Electrical wires and cords should be raised, while toxic substances such as detergents and drugs removed.
- Purchase utilities.
- Grooming supplies such as nail clippers, brush or combs, shampoo and conditioner.
- Food and water bowls: Preferably, metal bowls as they do not break easily.
- Create a container in which the puppy can sleep. It should have beddings that are soft and dry for its comfort.
- Food.
- Dog leads and collars. These are necessary to acclimatize the puppy to wearing one. The collars should contain the puppy’s name and the owner’s address or telephone number.
- Take the puppy for a stroll. This is to familiarize the puppy with its new home.
- Let the puppy express normal social behavior. Once the puppy is vaccinated, it should be allowed to play with other vaccinated dogs as long as they are not violent. However, the owner should be present.
- Train the puppy. Training when done at this age is more effective. Toilet training is important in preventing the puppy from soiling the house. The use of treats is good as it reinforces good behavior.
- Grooming and nail clipping. This should be started at this age so that the puppy grows up without resenting these activities.
- Nutrition
- Dry food is better as it helps prevent gingivitis and cleans teeth.
- Food that has high content of proteins is preferred. Supplementing with fatty acids is also important; as it is necessary in maintaining the integrity of the skin and a shiny hair coat.
- Give enough food, as puppies do not stop feeding when full as long as the food is in their bowls.
- Do not give in to feeding the puppy human food, table scraps. Some of these foods such as chocolate are toxic to dogs.
- Health
- Vaccinate after 6 weeks of age.
- De-worming starts when the puppy is two weeks and repeated every two weeks until the puppy is three months—and every three months henceforth.
- When there is no intention of breeding spaying in females and castration in males is recommended at five months of age.
- Observing the puppy is helpful in detecting diseases.
- General check ups. This can be done occasionally when performing other routine tasks such as de-worming and nail clipping.
Conclusion
The puppy should be happily settled once the above measures are put in place. In addition, petting the puppy strengthens the bond between the owner and puppy. The law in some countries may also require licensing. Remember a well-kept dog will give you many years of happiness.
The Use Of Animals In Scientific Research
The question of animal rights is a rather controversial issue of the twenty-first century. Some people believe that “animals have feelings, too,” while others are convinced that animal testing is essential to future scientific research. The opinions are entirely different, and one side of the conflict does not want to listen to another. The advancement in technology and science has made it possible to find the cure for many diseases, but without proper material gained from animal samples, some of the scientists’ future endeavors are doomed to failure. While experimentation of animals does bring them harm, the significance of the outcomes of such experiments for humans cannot be overestimated.
Significance of the Research Based on Animal Samples
As animal research has a great importance for the people’s welfare through medical progress, it does not seem possible to refuse from using animals for research purposes. It should be borne in mind that the scientists have no intention to hurt animals or exploit them without a beneficial prospect for the humanity (Festing and Wilkinson 526). Therefore, they take measures to control the animal exploitation in the studies. Bioscience specialists agree that there should be an ethical framework outlining the proper approaches to the use of animals in research. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, implemented in the UK, was a pioneer in the animal protection against experimentation (Festing and Wilkinson 526). According to this Act, the research proposals engaging animals need to be thoroughly evaluated in terms of causing any damage to the animals. An exhaustive investigation of the planned experiments and procedures along with the types and number of animals needed should be submitted and approved before starting the research (Festing and Wilkinson 526). By doing this, the scientists eliminate the harm caused to animals while obtaining necessary material for relieving people’s suffering from dangerous diseases.
Opinions Supporting the Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes
While animal rights activists put the welfare of animals in the first place, their opponents try to prove that the use of animals in scientific research is highly beneficial for humans. The scientists face a complicated issue of balancing between satisfying the animal rights defenders and inventing cure for human diseases based on animal research (Gannon 519). One area of research where experimentation on animals cannot be replaced yet is testing for “teratogenicity” and “endocrine-disrupting activity” (Gannon 519). Such study involves animal-based study comprising several generations. Regrettably, the tissue and cell cultures are not able to replace the animal-based samples in a short time. Under these circumstances, the scholars consider the cost-benefit analysis the most crucial issue (Gannon 520). This approach justifies some research types while condemning the others. For instance, employing animals in biomedical research is generally accepted by the society whereas using them in cosmetics testing is not tolerated. Such approach allows to weigh the advantages for the society (medicine safety) against the disadvantages for the animals (pain and death) (Gannon 520).
In the light of current animal rights movements, some activists note that not all campaigns are at their core the “animal rights” but rather the “animal welfare” campaigns (Wise para. 1). One of the causes of such differentiation is that animals are often regarded as “legal things” as opposed to people who are “legal persons” (Wise para. 2). Thus, animals are not empowered with any rights and are considered as property items. Humans, on the contrary, have an inherent value and many juridical rights allowing them to use the “legal things” however they wish (Wise para. 2). Another cause is concerned with the fact that the term “animal” comprises immensely divergent biological kingdom with over 1.25 million species (Wise para. 2). Each of these species has a different level of autonomy, perception, general intelligence, and sensibility. Thus, the activists say, it is unfair to treat all animals as suitable subjects for experimentation (Wise para. 2). The supporters of this approach defend an opinion that animals should not just be given “animal rights” in general but each kind of animals should be given their own rights (Wise para. 9).
Threatening Behavior of Animal Rights Activists
Not all activities aimed at defending the animals’ rights bear the peaceful character of negotiations. While some defenders express their dissatisfaction of the use of animals for scientific research by signing petitions and promoting governmental Acts, others make themselves heard by employing totally different methods. Animal rights terrorism is a dangerous movement directed against the innocent people who merely do their job by inventing better cure techniques for the humanity. There have been a number of cases of attacks on the scientists by the animal rights terrorists (Hadley 363). People may get hurt or escape the violent actions, but in any case, they are morally devastated and frightened. There have been instances when after such attacks the scientists refused to proceed with their work (“Fighting Animal Rights Terrorism”). In 2006, the Animal Liberation Front tried to firebomb the home of Lynn Fairbanks, who worked as a researcher at a university. Their attempt was not successful, but Fairbanks’ colleague Dario Ringach refused to continue his neuroscientific research, being afraid for the lives of his children (“Fighting Animal Rights Terrorism”). Such attacks by animal rights terrorists are not rare. Their actions frighten the research workers, and they stop working on vital research the outcomes of which could save many people’s lives.
Punishment measures presupposed by the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) does not stop the activists. They break into the farmhouses and cause huge losses to the owners while releasing the animals and considering their actions noble (Pilkington para. 2-3). In 2015, two activists argued that the concept of terrorism is “inappropriately used,” and that the law “threatens to stop free speech across the animal rights movement” (Pilkington para. 3). This occasion proves that the animal rights terrorists are trying to obtain more power and possibilities which would enable them to expand their illegal activity against the farmers and researchers.
Conclusion
The debate about using animals for experiment research involves many issues and cannot be resolved in one day. However, people should come to some agreement in order to eliminate the adverse outcomes for animals as well as for the research workers. A thorough consideration of benefits and limitations of each particular study is necessary for the most suitable results. The researchers should only employ animals when it is absolutely necessary. On the other hand, the animal rights activists should realize that without proper experimentation on animals, humans will suffer. The cost-benefit analysis should be applied to achieve the most constructive solutions. While animals may be hurt during the experiments, their suffering can be justified by the elimination of the effects of serious illnesses experienced by people.
Works Cited
Festing, Simon, and Robin Wilkinson. “The Ethics of Animal Research.” EMBO Reports, vol. 8, no. 6, 2007, pp. 526-530.
“Fighting Animal Rights Terrorism.” Editorial. Nature Neuroscience, vol. 9, no. 10, 2006, p. 1195.
Gannon, Frank. “Animal Rights, Human Wrongs?” EMBO Reports, vol. 8, no. 6, 2007, pp. 519-520.
Hadley, John. “Animal Rights Extremism and the Terrorism Question.” Journal of Social Philosophy, vol. 40, no. 3, 2009, pp. 363-378.
Pilkington, Ed. “Animal Rights ‘Terrorists’? Legality of Industry-Friendly Law to Be Challenged.” The Guardian. 2015.
Wise, Steven M. “Animal Rights, Animal Wrongs: The Case for Nonhuman Personhood.” Foreign Affairs. 2015. Web.
HIV/AIDS Awareness In Mississippi Youth Population
Introduction
The rate at which young people around the globe are contracting HIV and AIDS is alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017), youths in America alone accounted for almost 25% of HIV cases in 2015. The situation is expected to be worse in Mississippi where poverty and consequently, the lack of access to education are the talk of the day. Working in a humanitarian agency in Mississippi, I propose a program that can provide youths with the appropriate awareness as a means to address the risk factors to HIV and AIDS.
The Purpose of the Program
The project aims at providing the necessary HIV and AIDS awareness among Mississippi’s youthful population, which consists of almost 500,000 individuals aged 13 to 24 years. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Mississippi is ranked among the poorest regions in America, where approximately 700,000 citizens are below the poverty limit (Bertrand, 2014). Here, financial constraints leave parents with no or limited access to basic services, including food, health, and education (Reif, Wilson, & Berger, 2015).
Hence, the rising cases of HIV and AIDS in this state may be attributable to the lack of awareness concerning the disease, for instance, how it is transmitted, how it can be avoided, and how infected youths can cope with the virus without posing any health risk to HIV-free people. The implementation of a program in Mississippi focusing on these key deliverables will not only enhance the region’s health status but will also boost its productivity since a huge share of finances that have all along been allocated to fighting the HIV menace among youths will be channeled to other productive projects such as education and food security initiatives.
The Target Population
According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2016), 13-24-year-olds in the U.S. make up more than 43 million people. Mississippi alone accounts for almost 15% of the entire American youthful population. This program targets Mississippi youths whose age lies within the 13-24-year range. This class of people is expected to be in school. However, those within this age category and out of school because of inevitable reasons such as disability will also be attended to by a group of trained individuals who will be doing house-to-house education. This target population will be exposed to information concerning HIV and AIDS, including its mode of transmission, prevention, and coping mechanisms.
Benefits of the Program
The number of deaths is expected to be more in a region such as Mississippi, where HIV-positive youths are not capable of accessing the required medication at least to reduce the rate of multiplication of the virus. Furthermore, parents of infected young people here cannot provide the recommended diet, owing to their level of poverty and hence the lack of funds to purchase the right food. Those who have access to funds, too are not equipped with the appropriate information concerning the management of HIV and AIDS or even the mode of transmission of the virus. Hence, a health program that can enlighten the people of Mississippi on these issues will be fruitful towards reducing the number of deaths associated with HIV and AIDS.
In addition, the U.S. government has been allocating a significant amount of funds to manage its HIV-positive citizens, for instance, through purchasing ARVs among other drugs that suppress the multiplication of the virus (Reif et al., 2015). In some cases, the government releases inadequate financial resources in areas such as Mississippi to the extent that many HIV-positive people in this region cannot access such drugs (Reif et al., 2015). Since this program is expected to equip Mississippi’s youthful population with the appropriate information concerning HIV and AIDS, it will substantially cut the amount spent by the U.S. government in addressing this specific health issue. HIV-negative youths will be equipped with strategies of avoiding contradicting the virus while the already infected ones will be aware of how to avoid transmitting it to others, including how to manage the situation without threatening their lives.
The Cost of the Program and Justification
The program is expected to run for 3 years. A baseline survey costing 100,000 USD will be done within the first 3 months of year one, where approximately all youths in Mississippi will be voluntarily tested for HIV to know the number of those infected and those who are negative before rolling out the awareness program. A control group of at most 30,000 youths from a region outside Mississippi will also be screened at a cost of 30,000 USD. Another 150,000 USD will be allocated to the awareness campaign that will run for 2 years where all schools within Mississippi will be involved, including those out of school but within the targeted age gap. This cost will include airing adverts on TVs to raise the awareness. An additional 100,000 USD will be allocated to an endline survey where another HIV screening will be done to determine whether the program had any impact when gauged against the controlled group. A further 20,000 USD will be spent on publishing a report that will be shared among the respective government officials, including the Ministry of Education in Mississippi, for review and input. Hence, the program will require approximately 400,000 USD.
Conclusion: Program Assessment
As earlier mentioned, an endline survey will be done to determine whether cases of new HIV infections have reduced, increased, or remained unchanged. A positive change will imply that the program has been effective in reducing instances of new infections among youths in Mississippi. Conclusively, it will be possible for the initiative to be rolled out across other regions in the U.S., owing to its capacity to not only enhance health among youths but also cut the government’s spending on HIV-related matters.
References
Bertrand, N. (2014). The 10 poorest states in America. Business Insider. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). HIV among youth. Web.
Reif, S., Wilson, E., & Berger, M. (2015). HIV infrastructure study. Web.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2016). Annual estimates of the resident population for selected age groups by sex for the united states, states, counties, and Puerto Rico Commonwealth and Municipios. Web.