Mice

Apparently it's toy mania here on PetSugar, 'cause I have yet another toy post for you today! With so many of you letting me in on your pet's toy collection, I think it's safe to say we have the doggies and kitties covered. But what about the little guys? I know there are more than a few rabbits, ferrets, and gerbils out there (to name a few) so they shouldn't be left out of the playtime fun. I've rounded up a few of my fave small animal toys, including this cute Race Track ($14) for hamsters! Just put your little critter in a specially matched toy car (complete with a running wheel) and off he goes — exercise plus fun equals one happy hamster!

Check out the rest of my fave small animal toys when you read more

I'm telling you, cats are uniting to throw us all off. They will not be hemmed into vicious stereotypes of the "cats hate water, fetching, and mice" variety. Take this lady cat and boy mouse couple. Like celebrity exes who remain together for the cameras, this couple is playing lovey-dovey. Well, the cat is anyway. She's all, "Who told you I don't like mice. See? I loooove him." Mouser, however, looks skeptical and like he's about to bolt.

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Bladder infections (the most common type of urinary tract infection) are no fun. Almost all of them are caused by E. coli bacteria. They affect 4 times as many women as men!!! part of that is based on anatomical differences between the sexes and because many women aren't wiping the right way! You must wipe from front to back to reduce the risk of getting bacteria from your anus into your vagina. Since many women don't know this, bladder infections can be tough to get rid of.

The reason people are stuck with them so long has to do with the bladder being lined with tiny pouches (these allow it to stretch as it gets filled). The bacteria can hide out in the folds of those pouches, so when antibiotics are taken, the bacteria can avoid being destroyed.

Drink lots of water during and after treatment because each time you urinate, the bladder cleanses itself a little bit more. Cranberry juice also has been shown to have positive effects on UTIs. Make sure the cranberry juice is 100% juice. Quality cranberry juice produces hippuric acid in the urine which acidifies the urine and prevents bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder.

There's hope though. The herbal extract, forskolin, derived from the Indian coleus plant, was tested on mice with bladder infections. Researchers discovered that when it was taken along with antibiotics, the herb caused those pouches inside the bladder to kick out the bacteria, so the antibiotics could get rid of them.

The herbal supplement, forskolin can be found in health food stores. People take it as a treatment for allergies, breathing problems, and to help them lose weight, so we already believe it's safe for people to take.

If you are prone to bladder infections, I wouldn't stock up on this herb just yet. Antibiotics are still necessary to prevent the infection from spreading to the kidneys.

Also, more testing of this herb needs to be done on larger animals. If research shows that the combination of forskolin and antibiotics helps animals, then they can begin to do testing on people.

Fit's Tips: To prevent bladder infections in the first place, wipe from front to back! Also make it a practice to empty your bladder before and after sex since this helps to flush out any bacteria that might have made its way into the urethra.

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Extreme Pete, the hot rod dog, has some pint-sized competition on the water. They call themselves the Radical Rodents and I'll admit, they are pretty rad. Too bad my mouse traps are even radder. Joke.

Maury Povich put pickle and peach phobias on the map, but a radio show decided to put small vermin phobias (which are quite legitimate, if you ask me) to the test. I haven't a clue why this woman agreed to endure such a scare tactic...but "quiet as a mouse" certainly wasn't her coping style. Too bad the radio listeners missed out on the visual of her literally climbing the walls in terror.