Tampilkan postingan dengan label prevention. Tampilkan semua postingan

Senin, 24 Februari 2014

Don't Be Fooled! – Action Alert!

Here's an Action Alert for Maryland residents that I want to pass on...please get involved in the fight to protect animals! –Kim

Proposed Maryland Devocalization Law Would ALLOW the Cruelty to Continue

On the surface, a proposed Maryland state law – now before the Legislature as House Bill 667 and the companion Senate Bill 660 – would seem to prohibit devocalization.

But look a little deeper: This legislation actually allows veterinarians to continue cutting dogs' and cats' vocal cords, just to stifle their voices. Learn...then take 2 minutes to help protect animals from this cruel convenience surgery.

NOW'S THE TIME TO GET THE LEGISLATION RIGHT

On March 8, the Maryland Senate amended and improved SB 660, its version of the proposed law, by adding a definition of devocalization.

But the Senate left a fatal loophole, omission of the word "physical."

A devocalization law that doesn't define medical necessity as treatment of a "physical" illness would allow vets to cut vocal cords for barking or meowing--what the law is supposed to prohibit!

As of March 13, the companion House Bill 667 does include this crucial word, thanks to Delegate Benjamin Kramer. The two bills now must be reconciled in a joint House/Senate committee so their wording is the same.

It is vital that the final legislation retain the definition of devocalization...AND that it specifiy devocalization may be performed ONLY to treat PHYSICAL ailments...AND that NO other changes are made.

We hope Delegate Kramer stands firm. If he doesn't, this will be an empty law that does NOT protect animals at all.

Animals feel real pain. They need a real devocalization law.

BROAD OR NO DEFINITIONS = NO PROTECTION OF ANIMALS

Legislators know statutes must precisely define the actions being made illegal. The proposed Maryland devocalization law doesn't, rendering it completely unenforceable.

Any vet wishing to skirt the law can claim things like:

"I didn't de-bark (devocalize) my patient. I merely softened his bark; that's different.
"I didn't 'silence' my patient. This dog (cat) still makes vocal sounds."
"My patient had a 'behavioral' illness."

REALITY: No matter what it's called or how vocal cords are cut – through the open mouth or an incision in the neck – helpless dogs and cats face lifelong misery or a terrible death without any benefit, not even the claimed assurance of a home. These animals are surrendered, abandoned and euthanized like any other.

WHAT THE LAW MUST INCLUDE:

THESE THREE DEFINITIONS... EXACTLY AS WRITTEN

As used in this statute, "vocal cord surgery" shall mean a procedure involving the vocal apparatus of a dog or cat that includes cutting, notching, punching, abrading, laser, suturing or otherwise physically altering the tissue regardless of the surgical route.
"Devocalization" shall mean vocal cord surgery on a dog or cat, as defined above, performed with the intent of altering, reducing or eliminating vocal sounds produced by that animal. This includes procedures also referred to as debarking, devoicing, silencing, vocal cordectomy, ventriculocordectomy, bark reduction or bark softening.
"Medically necessary" shall mean necessary to treat a PHYSICAL illness, disease or injury or correct a birth defect that causes the animal medical harm or pain that cannot be relieved or remedied by other veterinary care.

If all three definitions are not added to the bill exactly as written above, Maryland's dogs and cats will continue to have their vocal cords cut for communicating.

THE LAW MUST NOT INCLUDE ANY OTHER CHANGES

Loopholes that would hurt animals are not always obvious. For example, substituting "pets" for "dogs and cats" leaves animals used for breeding and animal testing without any protection. "Allowable as a last resort" is unenforceable, and worse, it legitimizes this act of animal cruelty.

Sneaky loopholes like these and others can be added any time before a bill becomes law. Don't let that happen to this one.

MARYLAND RESIDENTS

TAKE 2 MINUTES TO PROTECT ANIMALS NOW...

BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

Animals can't advocate for themselves; they need your voice to protect theirs. Politely tell your Senator:

The word "physical" MUST be included in the final version of the legislation to describe conditions deemed "medically necessary" – its omission is a glaring loophole that enables vets to continue cutting vocal cords for any reason.
The definition of devocalization adopted on March 8 MUST be retained.
NO other changes should be made or the law could be rendered unenforceable.

Calls are best – and fast! But if you email, put this in the subject line: "Close the Loopholes in the Devocalization Bill SB660"

If you're a constituent, say so! Don't know? Click here to find out.

Sen. Lisa Gladden
Phone: 410-841-3697 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3697 | Fax: 410-841-3142
lisa.gladden@senate.state.md.us

Sen. Brian Frosh
Phone: 301-858-3124 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3124 | Fax: 410-841-3142
brian.frosh@senate.state.md.us

Learn about the subtle wording that would cause animals lifelong misery or a terrible death:

http://stopdevocalizing.weebly.com/legislative-loopholes.html

Got a few more minutes?

Call any or all of these committee members in addition to – NOT instead of – Senators Gladden and Frosh.

If you're a constituent, say so! Don't know? Click here to find out.

Sen. James Bronchin
410-841-3648 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3648,
jim.brochin@senate.state.md.us
Sen. Jennie Forehand
301-858-3134 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3134
jennie.forehand@senate.state.md.us
Sen. Stephen Hershey, Jr.
410-841-3639 | 301-858-3639 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3639
steve.hershey@senate.state.md.us
Sen. C. Anthony Muse
301-858-3092 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3092
anthony.muse@senate.state.md.us
Sen. Jamie Raskin
301-858-3634 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3634
jamie.raskin@senate.state.md.us
Sen. Christopher Shank
301-858-3903 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3903
christopher.shank@senate.state.md.us
Sen. Norman Stone, Jr.
410-841-3587 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3587
norman.stone@senate.state.md.us
Sen. Bobby Zirkin
410-841-3131 | Toll-free in MD: 1-800-492-7122 ext. 3131
bobby.zirkin@senate.state.md.us

Source: Coalition to Protect and Rescue Pets

CLICK HERE to SIGN THIS PETITION
against Devocalization

Also, see:

Please "Like" this Campaign Against Devocalization on FACEBOOK
Here's Piper on FACEBOOK (9 secs.) – Please "Like"!
More True Stories of Devocalized Dogs
United Against Devocalization
Myths & Facts about Devocalization
Tell Your Veterinarian: Devocalization is Mutilation!
ATTN: Vets and Vet Techs
Support State Laws Banning Devocalization

Videos:

Jumat, 21 Februari 2014

Jerky Treats Now Safe???

Here's some important info about the pet jerky recall. –Kim

New Report about Chicken Jerky Treats...

A new story has come out claiming that Chicken Jerky Treats are now safe....

Two brands of chicken jerky pet treats will soon reenter the market after years of reports of pet illness – even death – associated with consumption of jerky treats made with chicken sourced from China. Milo's Kitchen and Nestlé Purina (the maker of Waggin' Train treats) say that since the voluntary recall of their jerky treats last year due to antibiotic residue, they have reevaluated, revamped, reformulated and even discontinued certain products mired in suspicion and a nearly decade-old U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation. Now manufacturers are staking their name on the belief that they finally have it right.
———————————————
Disturbing Facts
———————————————
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has received a total of approximately 3,000 reports of pet illness possibly related to the consumption of jerky treats, including 580 deaths.
———————————————
Cause STILL Unknown
———————————————
The FDA has issued several warnings about jerky products imported from China since it first received reports of pet illness in 2007. However, despite ongoing efforts to identify a cause of illness, testing has been inconclusive.
———————————————
What to Look Out For
———————————————
Watch your pet closely. Signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products are decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes with blood or mucus), increased water consumption and/or increased urination. Severe cases are diagnosed with pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding, and kidney failure or the resemblance of a rare kidney related illness called Fanconi syndrome.
———————————————
Questionable Ingredients
———————————————
Milo's Kitchen ingredients
Chicken Jerky Strips: Chicken, soy flour, sugar, glycerin, textured soy protein, salt, guar gum, sodium tripolyphosphate, monoglyceride, garlic powder, sorbic acid, citric acid, BHA (used as a preservative), natural smoke flavor, annatto color, onion extract.
Chicken Grillers: chicken breast, rice flour, glycerin, gelatin, soy flour, wheat gluten, modified tapioca starch, sugar, soy protein concentrate, salt, monoglyceride, sodium tripolyphosphate, potassium sorbate (used as a preservative), citric acid, caramel color, garlic powder, natural smoke flavor, BHA (used as a preservative), dried egg white.
Artificial color, artificial flavor, harmful preservatives (BHA), questionable protein sources, questionable carbohydrate contents

———————————————
Dr. Jones Responds
My Advice...
Don't EVER feed these to your pets.
The toxin is still unknown, and they contain an array of potential harmful ingredients, providing no nutritive value.

P.S. My supplements ONLY contain ingredients I have sourced to be safe and effective. Avoid harmful treats, but use these instead:

Dogs: www.thedogsupplement.com
Cats: www.thecatsupplement.com

Dr. Andrew Jones, DVM has been a practicing Veterinarian for over 20 years. He is a strong advocate of Natural Pet Health Care, and knows that the most important way to heal our pets and prevent disease is through proper nutrition. He developed Ultimate Canine to give our dogs that extra advantage – something that will provide them with everything they need to develop stronger immune systems to fight disease, heal sore or stiff joints, and help them live longer, happier lives. Dr. Andrew Jones' main focus is on alternative, non-traditional remedies for pets. His interest in alternative pet medicine culminated in the writing of his book, Veterinary Secrets Revealed.

Source: http://www.theinternetpetvet.com/jerky-treats-now-safe/

Also, see:
They May Have Killed 600 Dogs, But They're Headed Back to Store Shelves

Senin, 17 Februari 2014

Is Your Dog Potty Trained Enough?

Here are some good housetraining tips that I thought I would pass on. –Kim

House Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog

House training a puppy or adult dog is such an essential issue for his owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your dog fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult dog. I enumerate these below:

You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.
If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals – as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.
Take your dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard, and then, to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.
Praise your dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some dog owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.
With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.
Until your dog has been fully potty trained, keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.
Use a crate. A crate-trained dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.
If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. This means to create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.
Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him, as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do (but be consistent). It will startle the dog enough for him to stop pooping.
Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your dog home alone for more than 4 hours, as separation anxiety is quite common among home-alone dogs.
Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult dog to work against his house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.
Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your dog has marked.
If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good house-trained dog.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.

Potty Training a Puppy

Irrespective of breeds, house training a puppy is considered to be one of the biggest challenges by dog owners. If you think house training your puppy simply involves a steady supply of old newspapers or puppy pads, then think again.

A puppy does not develop full control over his bladder until he is over 4 or 5 months old. Since they are growing and developing rapidly at this time, puppies eat more, burn more calories and need to eliminate more frequently than an adult dog.

After each nap, meal, drink or playtime, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until he eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.

Potty Training an Adult Dog

The best way to house train an adult dog is to begin all over again.

Observe him very closely. Maybe even maintain a diary of where he goes and when. Whether he is pooping when you are home or only when you are outside; whether you can, time yourself to be home when he feels the need to go outside.

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.

Remember: Commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly house-trained dog. Don't expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Get this unique house training guide and start house-breaking your dog today.

Sabtu, 23 November 2013

Is Your Dog a "Bully"?

Here's a great article about "bully" dogs...hope you find it helpful! –Kim

Why (and How) You Should Intervene if Your Dog Picks on Others

By Pat Miller
May 2006

You can find them everywhere – at dog parks and doggie daycare centers, in dog training classes, in your neighbor's yards ... perhaps even in your own home. "They" are canine bullies – dogs who overwhelm their potential playmates with overly assertive and inappropriate behaviors, like the out-of-control human bully on the school playground.

Jasper is a nine-month-old Labradoodle from a puppy mill, currently enrolled in one of my Peaceable Paws Good Manners classes. He was kept in a wire cage on a Pennsylvania farm until he was four months old, when his new owners purchased him. Katy Malcolm, the class instructor, asked me to sit in on the first end-of-class play session with Jasper because she was concerned that his lack of early socialization could present a challenge. She was right.

Four shots of the same playground bully, taken over a 20-minute period at a dog park. In the first photo, the Boxer-mix bully
has blindsided a dog who just entered the park. In the next three, she focuses her attention on the same victim, a
young Lab-mix. She clearly enjoys holding him down as a variety of other dogs come over to investigate.

Sam was a 10-week-old Golden Retriever puppy, well bred, purchased from a responsible breeder by knowledgeable dog owners who immediately enrolled him in one of my Peaceable Paws Puppy Good Manners classes to get him started on the right paw. Sam unexpectedly also turned out to be a challenge at his first end-of-class puppy play session.

These two dogs had considerably different backgrounds, but when it came time to play, both dogs exhibited bullying behaviors: Jasper because he never had a chance to learn how to interact appropriately with other dogs; Sam because – well – who knows? Genetics, maybe? Early experiences in his litter, maybe? Regardless of the reasons, both dogs required special handling if they were ever to have a normal canine social life.

Bullying Defined
In her excellent book, Fight!, dog trainer and author Jean Donaldson defines bullying dogs (not to be confused with "Pitbull-type dogs") as those dogs for whom "roughness and harassment of non-consenting dogs is quite obviously reinforcing." Like the human playground bully, the bully dog seems to get a kick out of tormenting less-assertive members of his playgroup. Donaldson says, "They engage at it full tilt, with escalating frequency, and almost always direct it at designated target dogs."

When released with permission to "go play," the poorly socialized Labradoodle, Jasper, immediately pounced on the back of Mesa, an easy-going and confident Rottweiler who was playing nicely with Bo, a submissive but exuberant Golden Retriever. Jasper barked insistently, nipping at Mesa's back as she tried to ignore his social ineptness. Finally, fed up with his boorish behavior, she flashed her teeth at him one time, at which point he decided Bo was a better target for his attentions. Indeed, Bo found him overwhelming, a response that emboldened Jasper to pursue him even more energetically.

We intervened in his play with Mesa several times by picking up Jasper's dragging leash and giving him a time-out when his behavior was completely unacceptable, then releasing him to "Go play!" when he settled a bit. Each time we released him he promptly re-escalated to an unacceptable level of bullying, until Mesa herself told him to "Back off, Bud!" with a quick flash of her teeth.

Human-controlled time-outs, however, made no impression on Jasper. The canine corrections were more effective, but didn't stop the behavior; they only redirected it to a less-capable victim. Because Bo wasn't assertive enough to back Jasper off, we ended the play as soon as Jasper turned his attentions to the softer dog.

Bully #2
Like Jasper's preferred victim, Sam's favorite bullying target was also a Rottweiler – not a breed you'd expect to find wearing an invisible "bite me!" sign. Max was a pup about Sam's own age, who outweighed Sam considerably but was no match for the smaller pup's intensity.

Sam had given us no indication during class that he had a play problem. In fact, he was a star performer for his clicks and treats. However, when playtime arrived his demeanor changed from an attentive "What can I do to get you to click the clicker?" pupil to an "I'm tough and you just try to stop me!" bully.

Several seconds after the two pups began frolicking together, Sam suddenly pinned Max to the ground with a ferocious snarl, then released him briefly, just to pin him again in short order. Needless to say, we also intervened quickly in that relationship!

Appropriate Play
Owners often have difficulty distinguishing between appropriate and inappropriate play. Some may think that perfectly acceptable play behavior is bullying because it involves growling, biting, and apparently pinning the playmate to the ground. Appropriate play can, in fact, look and sound quite ferocious.

The difference is in the response of the playmate. If both dogs appear to be having a good time and no one's getting hurt, it's usually fine to allow the play to continue. Thwarting your dog's need to play by stopping him every time he engages another dog, even if it's rough play, can lead to other behavior problems.

With a bully, the playmate clearly does not enjoy the interaction. The softer dog may offer multiple appeasement and deference signals that are largely or totally ignored by the canine bully. The harassment continues, or escalates.

Any time one play partner is obviously not having a good time, it's wise to intervene. A traumatic play experience can damage the softer dog's confidence and potentially induce a life-long fear-aggression or "Reactive Rover" response – definitely not a good thing!

Some bullies seem to spring from the box full-blown. While Sam had, no doubt, already been reinforced for his bullying by the response of his softer littermates, he must have been born with a strong, assertive personality in order for the behavior to be as pronounced as it was by the tender age of 10 weeks. Jasper, on the other hand, may have been a perfectly normal puppy, but months of social deprivation combined with a strong desire to be social turned him into an inadvertent bully.

There can certainly be a learned component of any bullying behavior. As Jean Donaldson reminds us, the act of harassing a "non-consenting dog" is in and of itself reinforcing for bullies.

By definition, a behavior that's reinforced continues or increases – hence the importance of intervening with a bully at the earliest possible moment, rather than letting the behavior become more and more ingrained through reinforcement. As with most behavior modification, prognosis is brightest if the dog is young, if he hasn't had much chance to practice the unwanted behavior, and if he has not been repeatedly successful at it.

Oops!
Successful modification of bullying behavior requires attention to several elements:

Skilled application of intervention tools and techniques: Leashes and long lines, no-reward markers (NRMs) and time-outs;
Excellent timing of intervention: Application of NRMs and time-outs;
Reinforcement for appropriate behavior: Play continues or resumes when dog is calm or playing nicely;
Selection of appropriate play partners: Dogs who are not intimidated or traumatized by bullying behavior.

While working to decrease or extinguish your dog’s bullying, you might have to let him
drag a short leash, or keep him on a long line while playing. This enables you to stop
his bullying the moment it starts. Keep him on a “time out” until he is calm.

The most appropriate human intervention is the use of "negative punishment," in which the dog's behavior makes a good thing go away. In this case, the most appropriate negative punishment is a time-out. Used in conjunction with a "no-reward marker" (NRM) or "punishment" marker, this works best for bullying behavior.

The opposite of the clicker (or other reward marker, such as the word, "Yes!"), the NRM says, "That behavior made the good stuff go away." With bullying, the good stuff is the opportunity to play with other dogs. Just as the clicker always means a treat is coming, the NRM always means the behavior stops immediately or good stuff goes away; it's not to be used repeatedly as a threat or warning.

My preferred NRM, the one I teach and use if/when necessary, is the word "Oops!" rather than the word "No!" which is deliberately used to shut down behavior – and as such is usually delivered firmly or harshly and unfortunately often followed by physical punishment. "Oops!" simply means, "Make another behavior choice or there will be an immediate loss of good stuff." An NRM is to be delivered in a non-punitive tone of voice; it's almost impossible to say "Oops!" harshly.

Timing is just as important with your NRM as it is with your reward marker. It says, "Whatever you were doing the exact instant you heard the 'Oops!' is what earned your time-out." You'll use it the instant your dog's bully behavior appears, and if the bullying continues for more than a second or two more, grasp his leash or drag-line (a long, light line attached to his collar) and remove him from play. Don't repeat the NRM. Give him at least 20 seconds to calm down, more if he needs it, then release him to go play again. If several time-outs don't dampen the behavior even slightly, make them longer and make sure he's calm prior to returning to play.

If a half-dozen time-outs have absolutely no effect, end the play session for the day. If the NRM does stop the bullying, thank your dog for responding, and allow him to continue playing under direct supervision as his reward.

Another sometimes-effective approach to bully modification requires access to an appropriate "neutral dog" – a dog like Mesa who is confident enough to withstand the bully's assault without being traumatized or responding with inappropriate aggression in return. A flash of the pearly whites as a warning is fine. A full-out dogfight is not.

It's important to watch closely during interactions with the bully. Any sign the neutral dog is becoming unduly stressed by the encounters should bring the session to an immediate halt. A neutral dog may be able to modify your bully's behavior, and have it transfer to other dogs – or not. If not, you may be able to find one or two sturdy, neutral dogs who can be your dog's play companions, and leave the softer dogs to gentler playpals. Not all dogs get along with all other dogs.

Outcomes
Sam's owners were exceptionally committed to helping their pup overcome his inappropriate play behaviors. We continued to allow him to play with one or two other sturdy, resilient puppies, using an NRM and his leash to calmly but firmly remove him every time his play intensity increased. We moved him away from the other pups until he was calm, then allowed him to resume his play. By the end of his first six-week class he was playing appropriately most of the time with one or two other pups, under direct supervision. After two more six-week sessions he played well with a stable group of four other dogs, under general supervision, without needing NRMs or time-outs.

The last time I saw Sam was an incidental encounter, at Hagerstown's Pooch Pool Plunge event. Every year when the city closes its community pool for the winter, they open it up on one Saturday for people to bring their dogs for a pooch pool party. Sam, now a full-grown adult dog, attended the Plunge at the end of Summer 2005, with more than 100 dogs in attendance. His behavior was flawless.

Jasper may have a longer road, but I'm optimistic that he'll come around as well. We plan to continue having him play with Mesa, as long as she's handling him as well as she did in last week's class. Between Mesa's canine corrections and our time-outs, we're hopeful that he'll learn appropriate social skills and be able to expand his social circle to other appropriate dogs. Is there a Pool Plunge in Jasper's future? We'll just have to wait and see.

Pat Miller, CPDT, WDJ's Training Editor, lives in Hagerstown, Maryland, site of her Peaceable Paws training center.

Source: The Whole Dog Journal
© 2013 Belvoir Media Group, LLC

Also, see:

Jumat, 01 November 2013

Canine Mystery Illness Spreading to People

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

Vet Believes Midwest Canine Mystery Illness is Zoonotic

October 29, 2013
By: Julie Scheidegger
DVM360 Magazine

Darwin was admitted to the Emergency Veterinary

Hospital of Ann Arbor with clinical signs of the

mystery illness. Dr. Lindsay Ruland says his owner,

a local veterinarian, told her he had had gastro-

intestinal and upper respiratory symptoms in the

weeks leading up to the dog's illness.

A recent weekend at the Emergency Veterinary Hospital of Ann Arbor, Mich., owned by Lindsay Ruland, DVM, saw a dozen patients with signs of the mystery canine illness reported in Ohio and Michigan. "Some had milder forms and were treated on an outpatient basis if they lived within 10 minutes of our hospital; others were so critical they came in unresponsive and were immediately admitted," Ruland told dvm360.

Ruland says that although public attention surrounding the still-unidentified disease began with cases in Ohio late this summer, she's been seeing the gastrointestinal and respiratory signs in her patients for the past year – upwards of 100 cases. Last year, however, she says the signs weren't as severe. "This year it's definitely worse," she says.

Recently, Ruland says, she and her staff saw firsthand how aggressive the disease is. "We had a 5-month-old mixed-breed dog who had been having diarrhea for less than 24 hours, and it suddenly became bloody," she says. Coincidentally, the owner's cousin's dog had died suddenly two weeks earlier of hemorrhagic diarrhea. Ruland performed radiographs immediately, and while she was reviewing them with the owner, the dog turned gray. "He began breathing heavily and collapsed and was unresponsive," Ruland says.

She rushed an IV catheter and resuscitated the dog with crystalloids and Hetastarch. "He required oxygen supplementation and after 30 minutes finally became responsive," Ruland says. "He went home 24 hours later, but it just showed us how fast this thing moves. If that dog had done that at home, he would have certainly died."

Nearly a dozen dogs have been reported dead in association with the illness in Ohio and Michigan, according to state officials. Ruland says her hospital has seen six dogs die from the illness since the end of August. "And that's just our clinic," she says. She thinks it's a problem at other veterinary hospitals as well, but people may not know what they're seeing.

After local media picked up on the illness reports in Ohio, Ruland went public with her own cases to bring more attention to the illness with the hope it would hasten a diagnosis. Since then, Ruland says she's heard from several pet owners who were not her clients that their pets had exhibited the signs and died suddenly within 24 hours. "The other clinics never had a diagnosis for the owners and oftentimes told the owners that their dog must have had cancer if it was an older dog, or they blamed the owners for feeding the dogs some fatty human food and causing severe pancreatitis," Ruland says. "So the other clinics are seeing these cases, they just aren't seeing them."

According to Tony Forshey, DVM, state veterinarian at the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the most common, consistent clinical signs of the illness have been vomiting and bloody diarrhea, which could have a wide range of contributing factors. After ruling out common causes, Ruland began looking for answers for the increasing number of patients presenting with the illness. Her hospital performed abdominal exploratory surgery in 36 dogs with the same findings – varying degrees of vasculitis. "Vasculitis, edema to all the major organs – it's really impressive," she says. Testing by the Ohio Department of Agriculture found evidence of vasculitis as well.

However, Ruland says her cases seemed to present not only a GI component but a respiratory component as well. She contacted the Animal Industry Division of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for advice on what to test for and what samples to collect. She kept a spreadsheet of her cases.

As cases continued to come in, Ruland says she began to notice another component of the illness. "Owners started saying that they had been sick," she says. Clients would joke they had the same symptoms as their pet.

Ruland realized that cases had begun coming in around the start of fair season and human influenza season. Swine flu had been reported in the state. "The owners were getting sick themselves; my staff was getting more sick the more they handled the cases as well," she says. Then Ruland herself got sick.

She says the illness in people starts with the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain, high in the abdomen. It progresses to lethargy, vomiting and bloating. After a couple days of GI symptoms, it turns respiratory with shortness of breath and coughing. "It definitely seems flulike," Ruland says. She and her team have also noted postviral neurological issues.

"We're pretty certain this is zoonotic here," Ruland says. "I'm not going to put my reputation on the line just for nothing. I do believe in this. I got sick myself."

Ruland doesn't want to cause a panic as there is no scientific evidence yet that the canine illness is zoonotic other than what she, her employees and her clients have experienced. But until she's proved wrong, Ruland and her staff are taking precautions. If doctors and team members shake hands with clients, they sanitize after. They bleach down the clinic once a day. "We've taken a lot more precautions and we're still coming down with this," Ruland says.

And now her boys are sick. Ages 2 and almost 4, her sons are battling respiratory infections and intermittent GI symptoms. Ruland says they had full respiratory panels conducted to look for the common illnesses like influenzas and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but all came back negative. Her youngest has suffered bloody diarrhea and the oldest was rushed to the emergency room after he woke up nearly purple with respiratory distress, she says.

Ruland and her husband, who co-owns the hospital, now change clothes in the garage after work and put their hospital clothing right into the laundry before entering their house. They have hand sanitizer everywhere. "It must be airborne or traveling on clothes or something," she says.

Ruland also says her sons' pediatrician told her she's sent more children by ambulance to the intensive care unit in the past couple of weeks than she has in the past five years. "She is certain something serious is going around in humans right now, and it just seems too coincidental that it is also going around in our animals," she says.

Ruland realizes she's putting her neck on the line with her belief that this illness is zoonotic. She's hoping science will back up what she's seeing and experiencing at her clinic. "We've been taught viruses don't cross species," she says. "It's very scary if this is passing readily. We don't want to cause a panic until we know exactly what we're dealing with."

While a spokesperson with the Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health at Michigan State's College of Veterinary Medicine says officials there are in contact with other agencies about how the illness might affect public health, Thomas Mullaney, MVB, MS, PhD, director of the Diagnostic Center, says he doesn't see any evidence of zoonosis whatsoever. To his knowledge, neither the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) nor any other public health organization is conducting an investigation concerning the canine illness at this time. Officials in Ohio and Michigan have stated they do not believe the illness is spreading.

However, Ruland says epidemiologists and other public health specialists interested in a possible zoonotic component have contacted her. She is working with them and other private agencies to investigate the possible human side of the illness while continuing to work with the MSU Diagnostic Center on the animal side.

With so much unknown about the illness – researchers have ruled out canine circovirus as a primary cause – Ruland feels it's important to explore what she is witnessing and experiencing at her hospital. "It's not proven in scientific fact, but it's strong enough we needed to get the word out to people," she says. She says other veterinarians and former classmates are contacting her, sharing cases they now believe could be tied to the illness.

While testing continues at the Diagnostic Center and other laboratories, Ruland's partnerships with private researchers continue as well. "The research group we are working with is working on deep DNA sequencing to try and figure out if the canine samples show circovirus or an entirely new virus," Ruland says. She may have her sons tested for circovirus, both porcine and canine if possible, if their respiratory symptoms persist.

"We're seeing a lot of these cases still," Ruland says. "We are very alarmed at the sheer number of animals who have this illness right now and expect it to only increase as the flu season goes on. We are trying to obtain answers quickly to see if there is a way we can prevent this from continuing."

Ruland is footing the bill for all samples her hospital has submitted for testing. She says she doesn't care what it costs. There are 20 different samples in the refrigerator right now. "I don't want my staff getting sick; I don't want these dogs getting sick. I just want an answer," she says.

Source: DVM360 Magazine
© 2013 Advanstar Communications

Also, see:

Rabu, 23 Oktober 2013

Teach Your Dog to Stop Barking

Here's a great video that might help if your dog barks a lot...hope it helps! –Kim

How to Teach Your Dog to Stop Barking

It's natural for a dog to bark. It's one way he expresses his feelings – everything from excitement to agitation. If you have an incessant barker, it's important to teach him an alternative behavior like the "quiet" command. If your dog is fearful or aggressive, though, the "quiet" command might not be the right fit for your pooch. Talk to your veterinarian, who may recommend a referral to a behaviorist or certified trainer for your pet.

Source: Vetstreet
© 2001-2013 Vetstreet

Also, see:

Rabu, 02 Oktober 2013

Dog Food Secrets

Valuable Resource...

Urgent Press Release for Dog Owners

You're about to discover the terrifying-truth about commercial dog food that is linked to the deaths of thousands of dogs across the US every single day.

Many world-famous Doctors of Veterinary Medicine and published Dog Care Experts universally agree. Any dog that eats commercial dog food is at a much higher risk of dying prematurely. And by the time symptoms are noticeable, it's often too late to prevent an agonizing death except by lethal injection.

See their shocking, research-supported claims in this report.

Also in this report, I show you a simple solution proven to increase the lifespan of your dog by up to 134% and save you up to $10,000.

To discover these amazing secrets, just continue reading and your reward is a super-healthy, incredibly happy dog that stays by-your-side for up to 8.3 years longer than statistically predicted.

Let's continue with this critical information...

"Commercial Dog Food is Killing Your Dog;
Hear What the Experts Have to Say..."

Continued - Click for more vital information....

Minggu, 29 September 2013

Has Big Pharma Taken Over Veterinary Medicine?

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...hope you find it interesting! –Kim

The 'Drugification' of Veterinary Medicine

Here's what Dr. Andrew Jones has to say about it...

Source: http://www.theinternetpetvet.com/video-big-pharma-has-it-taken-over-veterinary-medicine/

Also, see:

Rabu, 11 September 2013

Vet Clients Don’t Understand the Value of Preventive Healthcare

Here's a great article that I thought I would pass on...it pays to be well informed! –Kim

Don't be Duped by the True Intent of this Media Blitz

By Dr. Becker

According to dvm360, "It's no secret that veterinary clients don't understand the value of preventive healthcare."
This may be the case for clients of conventional vet practices, but the majority of pet owners in my proactive, integrative practice certainly understand the importance of regular wellness visits. In fact, my preference is to see younger, healthy animals twice a year, and older pets and those with chronic health conditions even more often.

'Partners for Healthy Pets' Campaigns to Promote More Frequent Vet Visits

To encourage more vet visits, a group called Partners for Healthy Pets (PHP) is waging a $5.5 million campaign to convince pet owners that visiting the vet regularly "is essential to responsible pet ownership" – and is "as important as food and love."
If you're wondering who is behind the campaign, this is from the PHP Web site:
"Partners for Healthy Pets is the face of the Partnership for Preventive Pet Healthcare™, a committee of the non-profit American Veterinary Medical Foundation that was created to ensure that pets receive the preventive healthcare they deserve through regular visits to a veterinarian. This alliance of more than 20 leading veterinary associations and animal health companies is committed to a vision of improved overall health for pets."
The list of members/sponsors reads like a who's who of the veterinary drug industry and assorted pet healthcare companies.
The campaign was rolled out to veterinarians at the AVMA annual meeting in July. According to dvm360, the pet owners being targeted are "urban and suburban women ages 32 to 49 who already have a relationship with a veterinarian but who are not regularly seeking preventive care." This demographic is being solicited for their $75,000+ household income and a willingness to spend 20-25% more than average on their pets.

The campaign kicks off this month and will run through 2014, so I imagine many of you will begin to see PHP advertisements encouraging preventive vet visits. You might also hear directly from your DVM, since veterinary practices can enroll in the program and receive information from PHP on how to promote the campaign at their clinics and on websites.
According to Dr. Ron DeHaven, CEO of the AVMA and chairman of PHP…
"This is an unprecedented opportunity for the veterinary care community. It's a platform for all of us to communicate the importance of preventive care to pet owners, to enhance the relationships we share with them, and ultimately to deliver even higher quality preventive care."
As a proactive, holistically oriented veterinarian, I'm certainly a huge advocate of preventive care for animals. However, preventive care in a holistic context is very different from what the vast majority of traditional vets consider it to be.
It's clear from the Partners for Healthy Pets members/sponsors list where the conventional vet community focuses when it comes to preventive care for pets. It's primarily about vaccines and chemical pest preventives, in a one-size-fits-all approach.

Why Yearly Vaccinations Should Never Be a Reason for Regular Vet Visits

Yearly re-vaccinations are unnecessary and dangerous and should never be used to promote annual veterinary visits. Even the latest canine vaccination guidelines, now two years old, no longer call for annual re-vaccinations. Unfortunately, veterinary compliance with the guidelines is not what it should be. It seems the majority of vets are still promoting annual re-vaccinations.

It saddens me that so many pet owners have been led to believe their dog's or cat's health revolves around yearly re-vaccinations.
In my practice, I tailor vaccine protocols to minimize risk and maximize protection, taking into account the breed, background, nutritional status and overall vitality of the pet. With healthy puppies, for example, I generally follow the protocol set by Dr. Ron Schultz. I give a single parvo and distemper vaccine at 12 weeks of age, and a second set after 14 weeks. I run a titer test two weeks after the last set and if the dog has been successfully immunized, she's protected for life.
If titer tests on any pet no matter the age indicate vaccine levels are low, I recommend a booster for only the specific virus or viruses that titered low, and only for those to which the animal has a real risk of exposure.
I do not use or recommend combination vaccines (six to eight viruses in one shot), which is the traditional yearly booster.

Veterinary Wellness Exams Should Be a Review of the Status of Your Pet's Health

In my opinion, more veterinarians could help pet owners understand the value of regular vet visits by rejecting the traditional notion of preventive healthcare (vaccines and other drugs) in favor of adopting a proactive approach to keeping their pet patients healthy. Being proactive means being focused on initiating change rather than simply reacting to events as they occur.
In my practice I use what I call the Three Pillars of Health as a proactive approach to wellness. These pillars form the foundation for your pet's health, quality of life, and longevity.

Pillar #1 is species-appropriate nutrition. The diet you feed your cat or dog should be balanced and biologically appropriate for a carnivore.
Pillar #2 is a sound, resilient frame. This aspect of your pet's health involves maintenance of the musculoskeletal system and organs.
Pillar #3 is a balanced, functional immune system. The goal here is to keep your pet's immune system in balance. It should protect against pathogens, but not be over-reactive to the point of creating allergies and other autoimmune conditions.

What Effective Preventive Healthcare Looks Like

One of the primary ways proactive vets like me keep on top of a patient's health is by tracking blood work changes over time. Let's say your cat's kidney enzymes (BUN and creatinine) are climbing, but are still within normal reference ranges. A reactive vet will wait to see those enzyme levels climb above what's considered normal before taking action. My approach is to pay attention to any change in those enzyme levels, and long before your kitty is diagnosed with chronic kidney failure, I will suggest lifestyle changes that can prevent the disease from developing.
Another way proactive vets manage their patients' health is by regularly reviewing diet, supplement protocol, and exercise habits with pet parents. A dog's or cat's wellness and nutritional goals change yearly, and over the age of eight can require fine-tuning every four to six months. Cats, in particular, are very good at hiding illness and pain, so it's not a good idea to wait until there seems to be a problem.
Your vet's preventive healthcare goal should be to help your pet avoid preventable disease. Unnecessary vaccinations and other traditional chemical "preventions" will not ultimately achieve that goal, and can actually help create disease where none existed.
In addition, your vet shouldn't wait around until your pet is sick or debilitated and then attempt to fix the problem. He or she should use your regularly scheduled wellness visits as an opportunity to check the status of your pet's health and take proactive steps to prevent serious disease from taking hold.
This is the true essence of preventive healthcare, and I hope you'll advocate for it with your own veterinarian.

Also, see:

Kamis, 13 Juni 2013

Is Your Dog Potty Trained Enough?

Here are some good housetraining tips that I thought I would pass on. –Kim

House Training Your Puppy or Adult Dog

House training a puppy or adult dog is such an essential issue for his owner that even a single exclusive tip turns out to be extremely helpful.

The first step in making your dog fit for polite company would be to potty train him. Some see this training as a hassle and some as a challenge.

For me, it is part of bringing up a pet.

There are a few things you need to know before you actually start potty training a puppy or adult dog. I enumerate these below:

You need to understand your dog's body language. Watch for signs that will indicate to you when your pet wants to eliminate.
If you own puppies, remember that they need to go potty at fairly frequent intervals – as soon as they wake up, after short naps, after play-time, after meals, before and after being crated and finally, before retiring for the night.
Take your dog for walks at the time that he usually does his potty. Take him out to the yard, and then, to the same place there every time he needs to answer nature's call.
Praise your dog after he eliminates at the right place. Some dog owners even give treats to their dogs. But remember to do this every time he does it right. He will relate the rewards to his having "done it right" and zero in on the spot where you want him to defecate regularly.
With time, you can try signal training. This is so that you know when your doggie wants to go. You can hang a bell at his level near the door and teach him to push it with his nose or pat it with his paw on his way out.
Until your dog has been fully potty trained, keep him under strict vigilance. Do not let him roam around the house freely.
Use a crate. A crate-trained dog is usually very happy to get his own den. The advantage of crating is that dogs do not soil the place where they sleep. So, he will naturally not eliminate inside the crate.
If you have a small dog and if you live in a high-rise building or in a place that does not have a proper backyard, you can try litter pan training. This means to create a space for your pet to eliminate in your house itself.
Use positive reinforcements while housebreaking puppies or adult dogs. Do not scold or hit him, as you will gain nothing by doing that. He will only associate punishment with your return from outside. If you catch him in the act, a stern 'NO' or 'FREEZE' will do (but be consistent). It will startle the dog enough for him to stop pooping.
Be prepared to return to a soiled home if you are keeping your dog home alone for more than 4 hours, as separation anxiety is quite common among home-alone dogs.
Accidents will happen. It is unusual for a trained adult dog to work against his house training. But medical problems or health disorders may lead to sudden accidents.
Many dogs mark their territory. These can be a leg of a table or a particular wall. Intact male and female dogs mark their territories by urinating. Use deodorizers to spray on the places where your dog has marked.
If you are patient and are ready to accept that house training a dog takes time, even months sometimes, you will end up having a good house-trained dog.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Now we will move on to how to potty train puppies and adult dogs.

Potty Training a Puppy

After each nap, meal, drink or playtime, take your puppy to his designated area (indoors or outdoors, wherever you have decided) and stay there until he eliminates. Then bring him to his crate.

Repeat this situation everyday until he has developed a habit out of it.

Potty Training an Adult Dog

The best way to house train an adult dog is to begin all over again.

You can try dog crates, but be careful to introduce him gradually to them.

Remember: Commitment, consistency and intelligent use of positive reinforcement will make you the owner of a perfectly house-trained dog. Don't expect miracles. You will only be disappointed.

Click here to sign up to receive a FREE course on potty training your dog.

Get this unique house training guide and start house-breaking your dog today.