Pet Health

Our Nation’s eyes still see the pitiful sight of pets abandoned during Hurricane Katrina. Pets were refused help by rescuers, and owners were told someone would be back in 3 days to get the pets. That day never came! Some owners wouldn’t leave their house without their pets, and so died, along side of them. Our government has learned a lot since then.

Now pets, and rightly so, are considered part of the family. Disaster planning includes plans for your pet. Whether you decide to stay put in an emergency or evacuate to a safer location, you will need to make plans in advance for your pets. Keep in mind that what's best for you is typically what's best for your animals.

A recent study about dog bites and children, indicated that even though the dog may not have bitten anyone before, there were signs of aggression.

Dog bites were categorized by situational triggers occurring at the time of the bite:

• Guarding food

• Guarding territory

• Guarding resources.

Children, younger than 6, were more than likely to be bitten while the dog was guarding food; while older children were bitten as a result of the dog guarding his territory. Children’s behavior which induced the aggression were sudden movements, high pitched voices, and inappropriate behavior.

Dog tags are good if your dog is lost. The name of the dog and a number to call are the essential information.

However, tags sometimes are hard to read, or sometimes a dog who has lost his way, also loses his dog tags.

That is where micro-chips come in handy!!!

Micro-chips are no larger than a piece of rice, and are easily inserted into the dogs ear lobe. A computer can then be used to scan the chip and obtain vital information about your dog.

A Texas laboratory has found a new type of contamination in dog and cat food: Acetaminophen. The pain reliever can be toxic or lethal to pets, especially cats. Worried pet guardians are frustrated and angry that neither the FDA or the lab (ExperTox Inc. in Deer Park, Texas) have released the names of the pet food manufacturers involved, despite the fact that it has been over a month since the initial lab results.

Millions of pet guardians have been affected by the ongoing pet food recalls. Pet foods contaminated with melamine have tragically pointed out a serious flaw in food safety protections. The death toll is still rising and even more pet foods were recalled only last week. It was also recently revealed that contaminated ingredients have made their way into chicken feed and thus into the human food chain.

Cats take all the heat for sparking allergies, but some folks sneeze, wheeze, and itch around dogs, too.

As long as your allergies are mild, taking steps to minimize pet dander -- dried flakes of skin that trigger allergic reactions -- can help minimize your symptoms. Here's how:

Cleveland Clinic has confirmed that an unidentified neurosurgeon used a dog with an induced brain aneurysm to demonstrate a medical device to salespeople. The dog was anesthetized during the demonstration and euthanized afterward, the Clinic said.

THANKSGIVING SAFETY TIP: BREAD DOUGH'S A NO-NO FOR DOGS AND CATS

According to veterinarians at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC), when bread dough is ingested, an animal's body heat causes the dough to rise in the stomach. As alcohol is produced during the rising process, the dough expands. Pets who've eaten bread dough may experience abdominal pain, bloat, vomiting, disorientation and depression.

FROM THE ASPCA:

As a responsible pet parent, you may have already felt the pain of rising veterinary costs—but that doesn’t have to stop you from getting veterinary care for your pets when they need it. Pet health insurance can help cover these costs, so you won’t have to face the tough choice of your pet’s well-being or your personal finances.

The following is from an email I received, so its source is unknown. But I believe that a story like this could have happened -- that love can heal and pets are sometimes the best medicine!

Anyone who has pets will really like this. You'll like it even if you don't and may decide you need one.

Mary and her husband Jim had a dog, Lucky. Lucky was a real character. Whenever Mary and Jim had company come for a weekend visit they would warn their friends to not leave their luggage open because Lucky would help himself to whatever struck his fancy.