Dog Health Day Clinic Held for Valley’s Indigenous Families

Dog health can impact on the well-being of children and the families that keep them.

RSCPA vets recently joined with North Coast Area Health representatives to host a dog health day, based at the old preschool building in Bowraville.

The two-day clinic, on April 28 and 29, gave indigenous families from Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and Macksville, an opportunity to have their dogs desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, and wormed to try to stop the spread of communicable diseases and control the dog population in the communities.

“By bringing down the population, you ensure that every dog gets more love and care, and the family has more time to devote to them,” North Coast Area Health environmental health officer Robert Barnett said.

The local community at Bowraville identified to the local health service that there was a high number of roaming dogs in the community, which posed a health risk for everyone.

The RSPCA has run similar programs in Wilcannia and Walgett, which aimed to educate people on how to keep their pets and family healthy.

Conditions that can be passed from dogs to humans include hydatids, round and hook worms and ringworms.

Cats, which were also desexed and health-checked on the day, can be a concern for pregnant women due to toxoplasmosis.

“The main way to prevent catching anything from your dog is to wash your hands after handling them and before eating,” RSPCA training co-ordinator Narelle Maxwell said.

“Also, it’s important to keep the animals’ sandpit clean. It comes down to simple things, and it’s important to educate kids on how to keep their animals and themselves healthy.”

Three RSPCA vets and two vet nurses were on hand over the two days for the animals that were brought in. More than 50 animals were seen, some for

simple health checks and others for desexing operations.

The days gave local animal controller, Reg Clough, an opportunity to gain the practical experience needed to become authorised to install microchips in animals.

It is a service he would be able to offer locally into the future.

Among the locals to bring along their pets was Gillian Williams from Nambucca Heads, with two of her own dogs and Oof, her son’s Irish wolfhound. She said it was a good opportunity to have the dogs looked over and make sure they were in perfect health.

RSCPA vet Ann-Margaret Withers said the two-day program was the first of its kind on the north coast, but could be expanded to Kempsey and Coffs Harbour, due to its success in Bowraville.

The team thanked the local Gumbaynggirr elders, who suggested the use of the old preschool as an ideal location for a make-shift animal hospital and Macksville Hospital, which came on board with supplies when the group’s oxygen ran out.

Dog Health Food: Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Dry Dog Food

An outbreak of Salmonella has been linked to contaminated dry dog food for the first time ever, said officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

CDC officials said dry dog food may be an under-recognized source of illness in humans, and they are unsure how the bacteria got into the dog food. Usually, Salmonella comes from undercooked meats and eggs.

“They are a number of possible ways that that could happen,” said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, a CDC epidemiologist, who co-authored a report on the finding. “That’s something we are still trying to figure out.”

Humans became infected with Salmonella in 2006 and 2007 from dry dog food produced by Mars Petcare in Pennsylvania. Dogs were not affected, according to the May 16 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, but a number of those affected were infants.

"The most important thing is to wash your hands right after you handle any dry dog food, any other pet food, pet treats, even supplements or vitamins," Barton Behravesh said. "In addition, keep infants and other young children away from pet food, because kids tend to want to see what their dogs are eating and grab at the pet food and play with it or even put it in their mouth."

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356203,00.html

Dog Health Care | Dog Obesity Awareness

When we talk about “obesity”, humans normally come in our mind. But what if it is dog obesity and not humans? Strange, right? We ought to know that dog health and obesity awareness is a perfect way to save the man's best friend. Maybe it was too distinct for people who lived many years ago; but fortunately not for people living in the modern society nowadays. Dogs of today, like humans, experience obesity as one of the major health risks.

Dogs that eat excessively and with unhealthy binges can become obese. This situation often triggered by some environmental factors could create more problems in a dog health if not controlled. Dogs also develop certain diseases if they are overweight that can lead to more serious complications including death. Obesity in dogs tends to put extra weight developing arthritis on their joints and other parts of the bones. It can also develop other muscle and joint problems like spinal disc disease, hip dysplasia, and cracks on the joint ligaments.

We all know that overweight causes diabetes in humans. It certainly does happen to dogs, too. More fat stored in the dog's body generates more insulin in order to cope with its increasing mass. Dogs have the tendency to resist too much insulin in the body, so this results to diabetes. Skin problems also occur if a dog is overweight. Excessive fat deposits are stored in the skin makes the owner find it hard grooming his dog. Dogs without proper grooming oftentimes accumulate bacteria, dirt, or other elements that can harm their skin. This eventually develops rashes, skin ruptures, and infections that are very dangerous on your dog health.

Overweight dogs are prone to heat stroke especially during summer time. Too much fat deposits accumulated in their skin lowers their heat tolerance. Obese dogs can also develop respiratory problems and heart diseases. Thick fat deposits covering the chest cavity, thus making the lungs and the heart expand hardly whenever the dog breathes. If the heart and the lungs can no longer produce the right amount of oxygen and circulate it within the dog's body, it could kill him. Inflamed pancreas, which is very painful, can seriously affect dog health. Lastly, obesity in dogs can create a liver malfunction because of too much fat deposits accumulated in the area. This may even cause the death of your dog.

These health problems are all life threatening to both humans and dogs. But in the case of our pet dogs, it all depends upon the owner on how he secures his dog health. It is important that dog lovers should create a healthy exercise schedule for their dogs like taking them for a walk every afternoon or letting him run through a field. This does not only benefit the dogs but their owners as well. Owners must also create a healthy diet for their dogs. Diet meals with necessary nutrients should include the right combination of fiber, meat, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals in order for the dogs to stay healthy.

Dog lovers should always give more water to their dogs when they feed them fiber. This can prevent constipation. Above all, they should also remember that before trying out new things on their dogs, it is best to consult the veterinarian first. Give your dogs the best love and care you can. Your dog health and obesity awareness is a perfect way to save the man's best friend.

Dog Health Care: How To Spot A Reputable Dog Breeder

Anyone can be a dog breeder - owning a female dog that has produced puppies qualifies you for that dubious distinction. But how can you spot a reputable breeder? Answering "yes" to most or all of the following questions is a great start.

Does the breeder do health screenings? Reputable breeders submit their dog health tests to registries such as the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals to document they are free of heritable disease. They may test for hips, elbows, eyes, thyroid and cardiac. Ask to see official paperwork from both parents' registries.

Does the breeder have a contract? Look for two important components: a "return to breeder" clause requiring you to return the dog should you no longer be able to care for it, no matter the age or reason; and a spay-neuter requirement for pet-quality dogs.

Does the breeder sell puppies on "limited registrations"? The American Kennel Club permits breeders to register pet-quality ("nonbreedable") dogs this way, which means they cannot be shown and none of their offspring registered.

Does the breeder know the puppy's family history? Breeders intent on producing quality puppies have met or researched multiple generations in the family tree and can offer insight into expected longevity, temperament and health.

Is the breeder active in some facet of the dog community? Many reputable breeders enter dog shows for an independent opinion on how close their dogs are to the breed standard. Others "prove" their dogs in field and hunt work, obedience, agility and tracking.

Does the breeder avoid the "hard sell"? Reputable breeders will talk buyers out of a puppy if they feel it is not a good match. No reputable breeder ever sells through a pet store or online auction.

Source: Newsday.com

Dog Health | Deadly Dog Illness Hits For Just 3rd Time

MILWAUKEE - A deadly bacterial strain that attacks dogs in animal shelters has struck for a third time, and a shelter medicine expert credits quick countermeasures for preventing more dogs from dying.

The latest dog health outbreak was at the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County, 10 miles west of Milwaukee, where seven dogs died over 10 days and two others became ill, prompting the shelter to stop taking dogs in or adopting them out.

The Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Madison said Friday that the dogs had the strain of bacteria -- streptococcus equi zooepidemicus -- that rapidly attacks the respiratory system, although at least one of the three dogs the lab examined also had parainfluenza virus. More tests were being done.

The case is just the third documented outbreak of the illness that causes dogs to become lethargic and feverish and then invades the respiratory system, said Kate Hurley, director at the Kort Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California-Davis.

One good thing is that the illness has been limited to shelters, and only rarely occurred there, she said.

"People's pet animals are really at minimal risk," she said. "Even within shelters this is very rare."

The first outbreak was at a Las Vegas shelter where as many as a dozen dogs a day had been dying in late 2006 until the illness was diagnosed in February 2007.

"The staff estimated that over 1,000 dogs had died with this bleeding from the nose and mouth and acute respiratory disease that is characteristic of this," Hurley said.

The second outbreak was last February in a Miami shelter where about a dozen dogs died.

"It doesn't seem to have been able to escape from a shelter or a greyhound kennel type of environment and spread into communities," Hurley said, "and it may be because the disease course is just so rapid.

"Once they are symptomatic, they tend to go downhill very rapidly and maybe there just hasn't been time for it to spread."

The exact mode by which the disease spreads isn't known, she said.

"It does seem to be highly contagious," she said. "It's possible that it's airborne within a facility or it's spread on caretakers' feet and on objects or on common surfaces," Hurley said.

It has not occurred in places such as dog day-care facilities, she said.

"It may be that there is some other compromise with stray animals coming together in shelters with a poor vaccine history that contributes to susceptibility to this kind of outbreak," Hurley said.

"Or it just may be luck that it hasn't struck in a doggy day care or boarding type facility," she added. "The fact is we don't know everything about this disease yet.

"But certainly it's not spreading dramatically and it's not widespread in the United States."

The Waukesha case shows the value of recognizing the disease as soon as a dog dies and then treating other dogs with antibiotics before they start showing symptoms.

"That's exactly what we recommended to the shelter in Waukesha," Hurley said.

"When we get on top of it really quickly, then it's been a lot easier to get the outbreak under control, so that's good news."

Lynn Olenik, executive director at the Waukesha County shelter, said Friday that the two other dogs that showed early symptoms responded to antibiotics and were expected to survive. No other dogs or other animals at the shelter seem to be affected.

The bacterial strain is becoming better known among shelters and veterinarians, according to Hurley. Still, "I think there's a number of veterinarians and shelters who aren't aware of this because it's so new and it's not widespread."

She recommended keeping dogs vaccinated for other canine respiratory disease and in good health to reduce chances of getting the disease.

Also, "keep your animal out of a shelter by making sure that it has two kinds of identification," she said.

That way, if it winds up at the shelter, it can be quickly identified and sent back home.


Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-dogdeaths,0,6463906.story