Lyme Disease in Dogs: What You Need To Know

You’ve probably heard of Lyme disease. You or someone you know may have even tested positive for it, but did you know that your furry friend is just as at-risk for exposure to this dangerous disease as you are, maybe even more so? Fortunately, cats are not at risk for acquiring Lyme disease, but as we now know, their canine counterparts certainly are.

Research indicates that in 2016 and 2017, 1 in 8 dogs in Roanoke County tested positive for Lyme disease. In 2018, 1 in 9 dogs in Roanoke County tested positive, an improvement from previous years. It may seem hopeful that perhaps the tick population in our area is now less than what it was in previous years, however we strongly believe fewer dogs have tested positive for Lyme disease because of increased efforts to prevent disease transmission, like vaccination and year-round flea/tick prevention. So what exactly is Lyme disease and how can you protect your dog? We’ll answer these questions and more in this blog post!

To read more on this story, click here: Lyme Disease in Dogs: What You Need To Know

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Center for Pet Safety Awards a 5 Star Crash Test Rating to Away’s Pet Carrier

The Center for Pet Safety, the 501(c)(3) research and consumer advocacy organization dedicated to consumer and companion animal safety, today awarded Away a 5 Star Crash Test Rating for their new Pet Carrier.

CPS is leading the first scientific approach to pet product safety and the Pet Travel Carrier Crash Test Protocol and Rating System provides essential guidelines for pet product manufacturers. The test protocol, which is a result of the 2015 Pet Carrier Crashworthiness Study conducted by Center for Pet Safety and sponsored by Subaru of America outlines a consistent test methodology and evaluation program to ensure pet travel carriers offer crash protection.

To read more on this story, click here: Center for Pet Safety Awards a 5 Star Crash Test Rating to Away’s Pet Carrier

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National Zoo Panda Update: Mom Mei Xiang Leaves Cub on its Own for the First Time (LISTEN)

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — The new giant panda cub at the National Zoo and mom Mei Xiang hit a milestone today, almost a week after the cub's birth.

According to panda caretakers, Mei Xiang left the den twice early Thursday morning to get a drink of water. It was the first time she's left her cub alone.

To read more on this story, click here: National Zoo Panda Update: Mom Mei Xiang Leaves Cub on its Own for the First Time (LISTEN)

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Man Builds A “Bar” For Squirrels In His Backyard That Serves Nuts

We all have our careers, and then on the side, we have our hobbies. For the most part, our hobbies are different from what we do for a living, but sometimes some people get lucky and their careers overlap with their hobbies.

One Fire Protection Technician, Matt Thompson, also likes to spend his free time doing woodworking, his hobby. Thompson noticed that there were people who were trying multiple attempts to create picnic tables for squirrels. He became inspired by the woodworking and chose to make his own version. Matt decided to get a little fancy with his idea and chose to make a bar for the squirrels to be able to hang out on the fence of his backyard.

To read more on this story, click here: Man Builds A “Bar” For Squirrels In His Backyard That Serves Nuts

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Last Night Around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang Placed the Cub on the Floor of Her Den for Just a Few Seconds

From the Smithsonian’s National Zoo:

“Giant panda Mei Xiang continues to exhibit excellent maternal care and is attentive to her cub. Regular, loud cub vocalizations are signs of good health and music to the panda team’s ears!

Last night around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang placed the cub on the floor of her den for just a few seconds, giving all of those watching the Panda Cam a fantastic view of her growing cub. It let out a few hearty squeals, and Mei Xiang immediately picked the cub up, cradled it and gave a few comforting licks.”

To read more on this story, click here: Last Night Around 5:40 p.m., Mei Xiang Placed the Cub on the Floor of Her Den for Just a Few Seconds

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Nationwide Recall Issued For Dog Food Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination

 

On August 24, 2020 Sunshine Mills, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of Nature’s Menu® Super Premium Dog Food with a Blend of Real Chicken & Quail because of the potential to be contaminated with On August 24, 2020 Sunshine Mills, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of Nature’s Menu® Super Premium Dog Food with a Blend of Real Chicken & Quail because of the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is a risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

To read more on this story, click here: Nationwide Recall Issued For Dog Food Due To Possible Salmonella Contamination

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Dangerous Household Products That Can Hurt Your Dog

Do you know that the products that you use to clean your home can hurt your dog? Here are some tips on “Dog Proofing Your Home!”

Keep these items away from your dog:

Household Cleaners:
Ammonia, disinfectants, fabric softener and bleach. Keep chemicals and cleaners securely locked away.

Indoor Plants:
Mistletoe, marijuana, poinsetta, tobacco, cactus, dumb cane, and philodendron.

Outdoor Plants:
Azaleas, daffodils, horse chestnuts, tulips, wild mushrooms, rhubarb, and morning glories

Pesticides: Rat poisons, bug sprays

Personal Items:
Antidepressant and prescription drugs, hairspray and nail polish can also hurt your dog.

Insect control products, such as the insecticides used in many over-the-counter flea and tick remedies, may be toxic to animals.

Human medications such as pain killers, aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. Cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, anti-depressants, vitamins, and diet pills can all be toxic to animals. Always keep medication containers, and tubes of ointments and creams away from pets. If you drop a pill, make sure you find it immediately and dispose of it.

Holiday decorations and lights are beautiful, however they do pose a risk to cats and dogs.  Keep these items out of the reach of  pets.

Avoid using mothballs in the outdoor environment they are toxic to wildlife. Boric acid dust or solution is corrosive and toxic to pets, and commonly found in ant killer and cleaners.

When using fertilizer, as with lawn weed killer products, read manufacturer instructions carefully. Some granular and liquid sprays contain enough concentrated nutrients so that contact exposure can lead to paw irritation.

Though puppies are always chewing…keep household batteries away from them. Leaking batteries are a risk to any pet. Old batteries should be disposed of by recycling. Large batteries that spill are very dangerous as concentrated sulfuric acid can literally eat through the pads of a dog walking over the area. Small round button batteries like those in watches and cameras are sometimes swallowed, and usually pass through without harm.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), states that cigarettes contain nicotine. If a cat eats too much tobacco they can become ill. Symptoms include vomiting, agitation, diarrhea and increased breathing rate. The dog can experience weakness, muscle twitching, and could go into a  coma and possibly die.

Licking up antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid and gasoline can cause your dog to become ill. Antifreeze does not have much of an odor or foul taste and your cat is likely to lap it up without thinking. Some brands of antifreeze have gone so far as to use additives in their products to make them less attractive to animals. It only takes a small amount, less than a tablespoon, to be fatal to your dog because of liver damage. Be sure to keep your dog away when you are working with antifreeze and clean up any spills immediately and dispose of the clean-up rags properly

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), also states that the signs of ethylene glycol antifreeze poisoning really depend on the amount of time that has lapsed since ingestion. Approximately thirty minutes to an hour after ingesting antifreeze, grogginess, disorientation and lethargy may occur. The initial signs for ethylene glycol antifreeze may look like drunkenness. Vomiting, diarrhea and ultimately kidney failure will follow 12 to 24 hours later. Since there is a narrow window of opportunity for managing antifreeze poisoning before kidney damage occurs, it is critical to get your dog to a veterinarian for prompt treatment.

Do not let your dog drink from puddles. These products taste appealing to pets but most are lethal to animals when ingested. So thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle. Also, keep your pets far away from any suspect puddles.

Pencils:
For some reason pencils seem to be the perfect chewing toy for puppies and older dogs.  The Lead Education and Abatement Design Group (LEAD) is a not-for-profit community organization which develops and provides information and referrals on lead poisoning and lead contamination prevention and management. They state that, “Every source of information we've ever read says there is no lead in graphite pencils, except that one graphite pencil tested had 1.6% lead in the graphite".

The Friendship Animal Hospital  in Washington, DC, states that the following actions should be taken if you feel that your dog has eaten a pencil.

Pencil "lead" is actually graphite with traces of iron. Graphite is essentially non-toxic. So I would not be worried about poisoning from the pencil "lead". The wood pieces of the chewed up pencil, if ingested and sharp, could potentially cause severe intestinal problems.

Try to piece together the remains of the pencil and determine if your dog did actually swallow any of it. Perhaps he just chewed it into pieces and didn't actually ingest it. If you think the dog did ingest pieces, based on the pencil remains were they chewed to tiny bits or larger slivered pieces? You are trying to determine if the dog actually swallowed pieces of pencil and if so were they sharp pieces of wood that could get lodged in the intestines? If you think the dog ingested sharp pieces you should go to the vet for x-rays. Also, any change in normal bowel movement, straining, black tarry stool, blood in stool, or indications of belly pain indicates a serious problem and you should go to the vet immediately!

If you feel confident that pieces ingested were tiny "chewed well" pieces they will most likely pass through your dog's digestive system with no problems. You could feed a little canned pumpkin or a small amount of metamucel to increase bulk/fiber which will help ease things through.

If you suspect that your dog has ingested any of these products, or if it shows any signs of illness. Please take them immediately to the nearest veterinary hospital.

Never, ever give your dog chicken bones.

The experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center set the record straight. As the Premier Animal Poison Control Center in North America, they are your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.

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Dangerous Household Products That Can Hurt Your Cat

Do you know that the products that you use to clean your home can hurt your cat? Here are some tips on “Cat Proofing Your Home!”

Keep these items away from your cat:

Household Cleaners:
Ammonia, disinfectants, fabric softener and bleach. Keep chemicals and cleaners securely locked away.

Indoor Plants:
Mistletoe, marijuana, poinsetta, tobacco, cactus, dumb cane, and philodendron.

Outdoor Plants:
Azaleas, daffodils, horse chestnuts, tulips, wild mushrooms, rhubarb, and morning glories

Coca mulch, can also hurt your cat.

Pesticides: Rat poisons, bug sprays

Personal Items:
Antidepressant and prescription drugs, hairspray and nail polish.

Other Items:
String, yarn, rubber bands, and dental floss are easy to swallow and can cause intestinal blockages or strangulation. Insect control products, such as the insecticides used in many over-the-counter flea and tick remedies, may be toxic to companion animals.

Human medications such as pain killers, aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen. Cold medicines, anti-cancer drugs, anti-depressants, vitamins, and diet pills can all be toxic to animals. Always keep medication containers, and tubes of ointments and creams away from pets. If you drop a pill, make sure you find it immediately and dispose of it.

Holiday decorations and lights are beautiful, however they do pose a risk to cats and dogs.  Keep these items out of the reach of  pets.

We all use Pine Sol, but did you know that this cleaning solution containing high concentrations of pine oil, and  alcohols derived from pine tree wood. Turpentine is another product that has pine oil terpenes. Cats are particularly sensitive to pine oils because they lack an efficient liver enzyme system to detoxify them.

Cats are sensitive to Lysol cleaner but not only because of their sensitivity to the alcohol in the product, but because this cleaner also contains phenols.  Cats have problems detoxifying this type of poison due to the low efficiency of the detoxifying liver enzymes.

Furniture polish may contain petroleum distillates which are toxic to cats . Avoid using mothballs in the outdoor environment they are toxic to wildlife. Boric acid dust or solution is corrosive and toxic to pets, and commonly found in ant killer and cleaners.

When using fertilizer, as with lawn weed killer products, read manufacturer instructions carefully. Some granular and liquid sprays contain enough concentrated nutrients so that contact exposure can lead to paw irritation.

Be careful with pressure treated wood. The slow release around the wood of the impregnated fungicide can contaminate their water.

Dispose of old batteries. If a cat brushes up against an old leaky battery, the acids transferred to the fur can lead to burns of the tongue during grooming, or chemical burns.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), states that cigarettes contain nicotine. If a cat eats too much tobacco they can become ill. Symptoms include vomiting, agitation, diarrhea and increased breathing rate. The cat can experience weakness, muscle twitching, and could go into a  coma and possibly die.

Licking up antifreeze, windshield wiper fluid and gasoline can cause your cat to become ill. Antifreeze does not have much of an odor or foul taste and your cat is likely to lap it up without thinking. Some brands of antifreeze have gone so far as to use additives in their products to make them less attractive to animals. It only takes a small amount, less than a tablespoon, to be fatal to your cat because of liver damage. Be sure to keep your cat away when you are working with antifreeze and clean up any spills immediately and dispose of the clean-up rags properly

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), also states that the signs of ethylene glycol antifreeze poisoning really depend on the amount of time that has lapsed since ingestion. Approximately thirty minutes to an hour after ingesting antifreeze, grogginess, disorientation and lethargy may occur. The initial signs for ethylene glycol antifreeze may look like drunkenness. Vomiting, diarrhea and ultimately kidney failure will follow 12 to 24 hours later. Since there is a narrow window of opportunity for managing antifreeze poisoning before kidney damage occurs, it is critical to get your cat to a veterinarian for prompt treatment.

Do not let your cat drink from puddles. These products taste appealing to pets but most are lethal to animals when ingested. So thoroughly clean up any spills from your vehicle. Also, keep your pets far away from any suspect puddles.

Never, ever give your cat chicken bones.

The experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center set the record straight. As the Premier Animal Poison Control Center in North America, they are your best resource for any animal poison-related emergency, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you think that your pet may have ingested a potentially poisonous substance, make the call that can make all the difference: (888) 426-4435. A $65 consultation fee may be applied to your credit card.
                       

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