New Year’s Health News and the Pet/Owner Bond
THE RISK OF CUDDLING. Sick in bed and enjoying the warmth and companionship of your pet? Not so fast! According to a report in JAVMA, although the number of animal cases is small, evidence suggests that pets can catch the flu from their owners. Thus far, cats seem to be most susceptible–not just to H1N1 but all forms of flu. It must be stressed that there is no evidence indicating pets give people flu–the evidence is that WE ARE THE CARRIERS and infect them. Tell your veterinarian if someone in the home has been ill. Is it any wonder cats are constantly washing their paws?
INTERNET ADVICE FROM A VETERINARIAN. Nancy Kay, DVM, recently shared guidelines on how to find reliable, accurate information on the Internet. Kay’s first suggestion–ask your veterinarian for Web site recommendations. Second– search for veterinary college Web sites. Enter “veterinary college” or “veterinary school” after the disease or symptom you are researching. She also says that Web addresses ending in “.org”, “.edu”, and “.gov” represent nonprofit organizations, educational institutions and governmental agencies, respectively, and will likely be sources of objective and accurate information. And, if your dog has a breed-specific disease pay a visit to the site hosted by that breed’s national organization. Kay cautions against business-sponsored Web sites. And, last of all, she says that disease-specific online forums provide information and a wealth of emotional support. She advises searching those sponsored by Yahoo (http://groups.yahoo.com). More Kay advice: look for groups that have lots of members and have been around for several years. Kay is a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine; the recipient of the American Animal Hospital Association 2009 Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award; and author of Speaking For Spot: Be the Advocate Your Dog Needs to Live a Happy, Healthy, Longer Life.
GOLDEN GIRL BETTY WHITE FUNDS RESEARCH. The Morris Animal Foundation has announced that Betty White will match up to $25,000 donations made to fund research into Leptospirosis, a potentially fatal and contagious disease affecting a growing number of dogs. Data indicate that the disease is spreading despite the use of two vaccines. Early signs of the disease include lethargy and vomiting. Humans are exposed through contact or shared environments, such as streams, pools of water and snow. My dogs lick snow. Do yours?
DO WE NEED THERAPY DOG SPECIALISTS? Therapy dogs pass a universal evaluation that allows them to be active in nursing homes, hospitals, libraries, schools and even prisons. However, like service dogs, some show aptitude more suited to certain areas than do others–not better. Different. Should we recognize these talents with advanced training and evaluation? For example, some dogs seem to enjoy children more than adults. And, I have known quite a few dogs that seem to have a wonderful ability to work with autistic children. These dogs are special because they seem to understand a special type of child. TDI has specially trained and evaluated dogs that work with disaster victims. Is it time to take a similar recognition into our communities and move a few steps further?
Jan 05, 2010 | | Uncategorized