wow, this is an old thread! So much has changed in the last couple years.....some good, mostly bad. There are now several different strains of KHV, meaning the virus is mutating. It is just as deadly as ever. Heat cycling a fish to force the virus to show it's self has been found to be of little benefit. Putting a niave fish from your own collection while the new fish is in QT is also of little benefit (at least for the purpose of KHV detection). The only way to know for sure is to have new fish blood tested, which is usually done by the dealer since drawing blood is outside the ability of most hobbiests. A KHV survivor can live with the virus for a long time and not show any ill effects for a long time. How long? Unknown at this time. But like the chicken pox virus in humans comes back as shingles in adults, the KHV virus can live in a koi or goldfish for a long time and then the fish can start to shed the virus again, killing other pond inhabitants. So my advise? 1. Only buy fish from trusted sources. 2. Only buy from dealers who test the fish for the active virus, and also the antibodies. 3. destroy ALL fish that have been exposed to KHV or assume the risk that these fish can infect others later down the road. Pretty scary stuff. Be careful.

While I can't vouch for this exact specimen, I can say these sort of photo shots with the snake extended forward and the size exaggerated are common on the web. The snake he is holding is a very large Western Dimaondback. But judging by appearance, my guess is that this snake is around 6-6.5 feet long and probably weighs about 10-11 pounds. The record size for a Western Diamondabck is just over 7 feet long and the largest rattlesnake ever recorded is an 8 foot 1 inch Eastern Diamondback. a web example exaggerating a snake's size (and falsifying the location).... http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/claysnake.asp Clay County Snake Claim: Photograph shows a 50-lb. rattlesnake caught in Clay County, West Virginia in June 2005. Status: Real photo; inaccurate description. Examples: [Collected on the Internet, 2005] This Rattlesnake was caught in Clay County, WV on 5-21-05. It weighed over 50 IBS and was 8' long. Rumers of this snake filtered through our community for the last month, then this pic was found on clay County's web site. A shiver goes up my spine just looking at it. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, this would be an unpleasent surprise!!! Here is the news release that came in to me just the other day: Rattlesnake! 114 POUNDS FOUND AT FOLA COAL IN CLAY COUNTY 2 WEEKS AGO I have to note that this is about 30 miles due east of the State Capitol here in West Virginia. Nothing to do with politics, I am sure, but this is one big snake, so much for so called records from the West! Variations: Some October 2005 forwards of the photo include a text description that details the finding of a "Big Timber Rattler" "near an open path" in Potter County, PA, "2 weeks ago" by "Phillip Bowman." Origins: There were several reasons to doubt the origins of the photograph displayed above matched the description that accompanied it on the Internet: The snake pictured is a western diamondback rattler, a species that does not live east of the Mississippi River. The apparent size of the reptile is exaggerated in the photograph because a stick is being used to position it much closer to the camera's lens than the men standing behind it are. An 8-foot, 10-lb. diamondback rattler is considered a giant for that species, so the snake pictured probably weighs no more than that. Fola Coal Co. vice-president Keith Bartley has fielded many an inquiry about this image, stating: "It's unequivocally not ours. It's a false story. There is no truth to it whatsoever." According to the Stephenville (Texas) Empire-Tribune, the snake was actually an 6-foot, 11-pound rattler snared by three hunters (Jim Bob Basham, Danny Fincannon, and Johnny McClatchy) in the Lone Star State in February 2005: The Great Rattlesnake Hunter from Proctor has been out looking under rocks again, this time near Alexander. On Valentine's Day Jim Bob Basham, holding the snake, and his fellow hunters, Danny Fincannon and Johnny McClatchy of Dublin, uncovered a din of rattlers that yielded this monster. This snake is even bigger than the one Basham caught last November that made its rounds on the Internet. Big Charlie here is more than 6 feet (an exact measurement was not attempted) and weighs 11 pounds. He boasts 15 rattlers and a button. He was sharing the den with 11 other rattlers that were all caught alive. Last updated: 24 October 2005 The URL for this page is http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/claysnake.asp Urban Legends Reference Pages 1995-2005 by Barbara and David P. Mikkelson This material may not be reproduced without permission

I've made note of that eye medicine, Mountain Lady. I may need it. I got Sandy into the cat carrier and to the vet this morning. Her eyes are very badly infected, and the ear mites they treated her for before are as bad as ever. The poor cat must be so uncomfortable. She tolerated being handled by the vet amazingly well. He washed out her ears pretty thoroughly and put ointment in her eyes. He also gave her another long-lasting antibiotic shot and treated the ear mites again. And he clipped her nails. He told me my only choices were to treat her for these problems or put her to sleep. Of course I said I would give treatment my best shot. He also said she's not a mean cat; she's a good girl. I agree. I thought about how to proceed with the treatment, and decided the best way for me to have access to her twice a day is to raise the dog crate up onto the bed so I can reach farther in. So I went to the hardware store and bought a tarp to protect the bed. I obviously can't deal with the little tube of eye ointment while wearing leather gloves, so I hope we can pull this off without injury--to me. I have severe Raynaud's, and even though we're not officially in winter yet I already have painful sores on my fingers, caused by a lack of blood flow. If they are opened, that would not be a good thing. I sure hope she can be restored to heath. I can't help wondering why this cat contracted so many things: eye infection, ear mites, fleas. I hope one fed off the other, and this doesn't indicate an impaired immune system that can never be improved. I've now spent $300 on her vet care, and that's a chunk of money for me. Between that and the report on her eyes and ears, I was feeling rather discouraged when we left the vet's. But then I saw a dead dog taken out on a stretcher, and his crying owners. I got in my car and cried, too--for them and for animals everywhere--but at the same time I realized how lucky I am.

Hi damask: Welcome to the Organic Rose. Thank you for a great pic. of hummingbird. I really enjoy that ... what type of red flower are those? Thanks for the info. Hi Alana: It's so nice to hear from you. I'm so sorry that your daughter Willow and you got pneumonia this past Christmas. Three weeks of antibiotics !! 20 yrs. ago I had pneumonia and was on antibiotics. Afterwards I had to get Jarrow-Femdophillus (probiotics) to treat my yeast infection, plus NatureMade Acidophillus so I could drink cow milk again. Those 2 are the highest rated probiotics sold on Amazon. My 2 brothers are M.D.'s (an emergency room physician, and the other is a dermatologist). My sister is a retired family doctor. About pesticides in tea (imported from China) ... I didn't know either and suffered years of prolonged tummy ache after drinking Jasmine green tea. Pesticides are also linked to rheumatoid arthritis. See an excerpt from link below: "Now a new study from Georgetown University has shown that drinking tea raised the risk of RA in post-menopausal women. The study involved more than 76,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79 in the US and found significant association between tea consumption in any amount and a 40 percent rise in the risk of getting RA. Women who took more than 4 cups of tea per day upped the risk by as much as 78 percent. Effects of black tea were assessed in this study and green and herbal teas were excluded. Coffee, filtered and otherwise and caffeinated and decaffeinated has no similar effect. The study was presented at the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) 2010 in Rome." When it comes to health, I double-check ALL the info., such as a Mom nearby who told me her kid is on multivitamin, that's why she doesn't have a cold for 2 years. Then I spent HOURS checking on multivitamin, and found many Amazon customers report breaking out in pimples from vitamins (thanks to added excessive B12, plus B6). I had similar experience with joint pain, as reported by other Amazon customers, thanks to excessive level of copper and mobylleum added. The truth is: that girl who didn't catch cold for 2 years was a skinny, athletic and competitive runner. Same with my husband, he went for 7 years without a cold since he was a competitive marathon runner, running at least 6 miles a day. Sweating out everyday is a cost-free way to boost the immune system. I don't exercise much, except for shoveling the snow ... but I beat my husband's record: I went for 8 years without catching a cold, including this year. I didn't take any multivitamin, but I drink Kefir (high in vitamin D versus zero vitamin D in yogurt), plus 12 strains of beneficial bacteria. I also take Brewer's Yeast. Both Kefir and Brewer's yeast ARE DOCUMENTED to boost the immune system, see link below. Kefir has the 2 bacteria that help with cold: Bifidobacterium animalis subsp.lactis Bb12(Bb12) •Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG(LGG) http://kefirandkombucha.blogspot.com/2013/07/probiotics-prevent-colds-and-flu.html "A study published in the medical journal Pediatrics was conducted on 326 children in China. They were from the age of three to five years old. The children were given milk twice daily that contained the probiotics Lactobacillus acidophilus by itself, or combined with Bifidobacterium animalis. The children were followed for six months, from November 2005 to May 2006. The study results were impressive and showed that the one probiotic was helpful but the benefit was enhanced in the group who took the two probiotics together. The group who took the Lactobacillus contracted had half the number of fevers of the placebo group (53%). They also had 41% less coughs and 28% less runny noses. When they became sick, their illnesses were one third shorter than the placebo group (32%) and they used 68% less antibiotics. They missed 38% less school than the placebo group as well. The children who took both Lactobacillus acidophilus along with the Bifidobacterium animalis contracted over two thirds less fevers than the placebo group (72%). They had 62% less coughs, and 59% less runny noses. Their duration of illness was nearly HALF of that in the placebo group (48%). They missed slightly less school than the children taking only one probiotic (32% compared to the other group's 38%), but they used 84% less antibiotics compared to the placebo group, surpassing the other group's level of 68% less usage. The study was double blind and placebo controlled, and it was conducted during the winter cold and flu season. Though the study was funded by a Danish company that makes probiotics, Danisco, similar results have been sited elsewhere." Brewer's yeast is also effective in boosting the immune system, but NOT as well-documented as vitamin D. Thanks to another poster in Organic Rose who notified me that Lewis Lab is the best-tasting brewer's yeast, I'll going to buy that for my picky kid. I'm fine with the cheap NOW brewer's yeast, lots of people complain it's nasty in taste, but I made it better by mixing 1 Tbs. of that with 1 cup of soy milk, plus 1 heaping Tbs. of buckwheat honey. The buckwheat honey really help to make it tasty .. I tried other types of honey ... didn't taste as good. See below excerpt from U. of Maryland Medical Center: "At least one study has found that brewer's yeast may improve acne. Another linked it to a reduced risk of a second skin cancer. And one large, preliminary study found that taking a specific kind brewer’s yeast product (EpiCor) may help prevent colds and flu. Brewer's yeast is often used as a source of B-complex vitamins, chromium, and selenium. The B-complex vitamins in brewer's yeast include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), and H or B7 (biotin). These vitamins help break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which provide the body with energy. They also support the nervous system, help maintain the muscles used for digestion, and keep skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver healthy." http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/brewers-yeast#ixzz3MBHc8Nct Here is a link that might be useful: Black tea raises rheumatoid arthritis risk