As Pet Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close, the takeaway is in preventative care. Although many types of cancer in dogs are genetically influenced and unpreventable, regular vet check ups and at-home examinations are the key to early diagnosis. There are also several lifestyle changes you can make for your pet to ensure they’re living life to the healthiest. Also known as a wellness examination, your dog or cat’s yearly veterinary check up is not something to be missed. Many pet parents fear the fee from wellness visits, which isn’t covered under most pet insurance plans. According to Veterinary Centers of America, the largest pet healthcare provider in the country, your pet needs check ups at different rates depending on their life stage. To read more on this story, click here:How To Prevent Cancer in Dogs
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Ormond Beach, Florida - A sheriff's office on Florida's east coast was given a heads up Tuesday, Nov. 7, of five pieces of meat found at a dog park. Upon inspecting the meat, it was discovered fish hooks were embedded in small meatballs. At least one dog was seen eating the meat at the Michael Crotty Bicentennial Park, according to a Facebook post by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office Sheriff's Deputy Donna Bowen visited the park and found an additional contaminated meatball. Finding no others, she reviewed them with the person who found the first batch and noticed they were cold and sweating, like they were frozen and sitting in the sun. The deputy searched the park -- plus an adjacent area -- and found no other meatballs. The county's animal control called an area veterinary hospital, which did an X-ray on the dog but found no hooks inside the animal. Police aren't sure who placed the meat, however, Bowen responded to a similar report at the same park two years ago.
These food should not be given to your pets at Thanksgiving. Inform guests not to feed your pets. Turkey bones Turkey bones can cause pets to choke and if they swallow them, the bones can puncture the stomach or intestines, which could possibly kill them. Instead, give pets pieces of cooked turkey. Breast meat is best, and make sure you cut off all the bones. Turkey skin Fatty foods like turkey skin are tough for dogs to digest. In some cases, their pancreas can become inflamed, resulting in pancreatitis. Stuffing/Dressing A lot of stuffing includes scallions, garlic and onions, all three of which are toxic to animals and can cause anemia. Mushrooms If your dog eats mushrooms, the dog may experience vomiting, seizures, a coma and possibly death. (Source: Prince William County Animal Shelter) Nutmeg Pumpkin and sweet potatoes are good for your dog, but make sure they don’t contain nutmeg. It has mild hallucinogenic properties that, when ingested by your dog, can cause seizures, tremors and central nervous system problems. Alcohol Alcoholic beverages and food products containing alcohol can cause vomiting, diarrhea, decreased coordination, central nervous system depression, difficulty breathing, tremors, abnormal blood acidity, coma and even death. Under no circumstances should your pet be given any alcohol. Nuts Nuts, including almonds, pecans, and walnuts, contain high amounts of oils and fats. The fats can cause vomiting and diarrhea, and potentially pancreatitis in pets. Dough When a dog or cat ingests raw bread dough, the yeast continues to convert the sugars in the dough to carbon dioxide gas and alcohol. This can result in bloated drunken pets, which could become a life-threatening emergency, requiring hospitalization. Sage It’s in countless Thanksgiving Day recipes, but it shouldn’t be in your dog’s bowl. Sage contains oils and resins that can upset your four-legged friend’s stomach and do a number on its central nervous system. Chocolate This may seem like a no-brainer for experienced pet owners. But you may want to remind guests not to give animals a taste of chocolate desserts. It’s toxic for them. Cake If you plan to bake Thanksgiving desserts, be sure your pets keep their noses out of the batter, especially if it includes raw eggs—they could contain salmonella bacteria that may lead to food poisoning. Please share!
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Paws have claws. That’s one of nature’s laws. But some cat owners believe that they should get their cats “declawed,” or to have their fingers and toes cut off at the last knuckle. To others, this declawing process is tantamount to mutilation. Veterinarian Rachel Fuentes posted on Facebook the gruesome aftermath of a cat that had undergone a declawing procedure where part of the nail tissue was left accidentally. Rarely, viable nail tissue gets left behind, and as the nail cannot grow out and become worn down, it can grow in a spiral embedded in the flesh. In this case, the nail burst open the cat’s wrist in a mass almost as big as a ping-pong ball. To read more on this story, click here:Declawed Cat Grows Painful, Spiraling Nail After Owner Amputates Cat’s Knuckles
You work hard to keep your house clean and cozy. Unfortunately, every time you walk up to the front door, you get a noseful of cat urine. Having feral felines use your porch as a toilet is frustrating, but don't despair. You can stop the smell without harming the animal. The Porch As soon as you finish sandblasting and refinishing your front porch, the neighborhood tomcat comes over and lifts his leg on every corner. You get a whiff of his "perfume" every time you open the window. The first step is cleaning the area thoroughly. Pick up a bottle of enzymatic cleaner from your local pet store. These specialized cleaners break up the enzymes in cat urine that make the area smell like a toilet to animals, even if you constantly clean. Once the urine smell dissipates, fill a spray bottle with white vinegar. If the smell of vinegar bothers you, dilute it with water and make a 50:50 vinegar-water batch. Spray all of the corners of your porch, including underneath. The vinegar smell repels the neighborhood feline gang. Potted Plants You adore your potted plants and have them scattered all over your yard. However, replanting flowers has become quite the chore since your plant pots seem to be the neighborhood litter box. Clean the outside of the planters with the enzymatic cleaner. Clean up any solid waste and mix a small amount of white vinegar in with the soil. At this point you'll want to cover the soil with aluminum foil, pine cones or large, sharp-edged pebbles. These materials aren't comfortable for kitties to walk on. They'll learn that your plants not only smell funny, they hurt to dig through, forcing them to go elsewhere. Lawn and Garden The last thing you want is dead yellow spots in your grass or fresh growing vegetables coated with cat urine. Head back to your neighborhood pet store and pick up a carton of cat-repellent granules. These granules blend perfectly with soil -- without harming your grass or plants -- and keep unwanted furry critters away. Simply sprinkle the granules around the perimeter of your lawn or stir them into the soil the next time you work in your garden. Follow the manufacturers instructions carefully for optimal protection. Some varieties last for up to one month. Other Tips If you're not having luck with granules or vinegar, use citronella spray or mix grated orange peels in with your soil. Most kitties despise the scent of citrus. Also, don't use any ammonia-based household cleaners to scrub away urine markings in your yard. Ammonia smells like urine to cats, so you might wind up enhancing the problem rather than getting rid of it. Talk with your neighbors about the issue. Maybe your next-door neighbors let their kitty roam as pleases, but they aren't aware of how much he damages your property. They may be willing to keep Max inside, rather than allowing him to navigate through the neighborhood.
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April the Giraffe is keeping up with the Kardashians. Amid pregnancy rumors about Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner, another media darling is hinting at a bun in the oven. “I cannot confirm nor deny the possibility of another pregnancy,” Animal Adventure Park owner Jordan Patch said on Good Morning America, fueling speculation that April is again pregnant just months after giving birth to her baby boy Tajiri. “Are we ready for another giraffe cam, world? You tell me.” To read more on this story, click here: April The Giraffe May Be Pregnant Months After Millions Tuned In To Watch Her First Birth
This document provides information on diseases that can be passed from rabbits and related lagomorphs to people. Often these diseases do not make the animal appear sick but can cause serious illness in humans. Persons with specific medical conditions such as a chronic illness, immunodeficiency and pregnancy may be at higher risk of developing disease or complications from a zoonotic disease and should consult with their physician before working with animals.
The majority of rabbits housed at WSU are bred and raised under strict hygienic conditions and are free of pathogens that could be transferred to people. These rabbits are called “specific pathogen-free” or “SPF” rabbits. Rabbits that are housed outdoors, captured from wild populations or that are purchased from a pet store may carry zoonotic diseases. Zoonotic diseases specifically associated with rabbits include pasteurellosis, ringworm, mycobacteriosis, cryptosporidiosis and external parasites. To read more on this story, click here:Zoonoses Associated with Rabbits
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If you are considering buying your first pet rabbit, or even if you have owned one before and are thinking of getting another, it is important to do plenty of research, both into rabbits as a species, and the particular needs and concerns attached to each different rabbit breed. While rabbits have been a popular and very commonly owned pet for centuries, our knowledge of rabbits and what they really need to be happy and healthy is information that has come on in great leaps in recent years, and what used to be viewed as a fairly simple, low maintenance pet is now understood and respected as a much more delicate and complex creature than they were historically. Rabbits are social animals that should not be kept on their own without a companion, or they will be lonely and unhappy and not thrive. This means that spaying and neutering of rabbits is important, particularly if you keep males and females together, for obvious reasons! A female rabbit can produce a new litter every thirty days, and you will soon find yourself with more baby bunnies than you can handle! Even if you keep your rabbits in same-sex groups, spaying can help to protect female rabbits from cancer of the uterus, which is a common cancer of mature female rabbits. You should choose the material that you use for your rabbit’s bedding carefully, as not all products are suitable for use with them. Scented products that have artificial or natural aromas are a bad idea for rabbits in particular. Aromatic cedar or pine wood shavings are particularly to be avoided, as both of these fragrant woods release oils that can be harmful to your pet, and even cause long term liver damage. Rabbits can be taught to use a litter tray, just like cats can, and this is an essential factor of life with a house rabbit! However, again, you should choose the litter that you use carefully to avoid causing health problems. Clay cat litter or other products that form clumps can be ingested and block up your rabbit’s digestive system, and any litter that is dusty may affect your rabbit’s respiratory system. It is important that you rabbit-proof your home and garden, and any areas that your rabbit will have access to. Rabbits need to chew on things in order to keep their teeth at a comfortable length, and for some reason, articles such as electrical wires and loose carpet are particularly appealing to them! View your home and garden from your rabbit’s viewpoint, and ensure that everything that they may be able to reach is safe for them. When people think about buying rabbit food, they usually imagine ready mixed, rabbit-suitable pellet food, and perhaps the occasional piece of fruit or veg. However, the bulk of the rabbit’s diet should be grass or hay, and your rabbit should have free access to one or both of these things at all times. In order to stay healthy, the digestive system of the rabbit should be constantly moving, and if it stops due to having no more food to eat, getting it restarted again is difficult, and may need veterinary help. Suitable hay for rabbits include timothy hay, orchard grass and various others, and you should feed lots of it when your rabbit does not have access to grass. If your rabbit isn’t very tame or even becomes aggressive, never punish them by smacking them or speaking harshly to them. Rabbits are sensitive animals that do not understand cause and effect in the same way that we do, and responding angrily will not help. Rabbits are viewed as exotic pets within veterinary surgeries, and while most clinics will see a reasonable amount of rabbits and be able to diagnose and treat minor health issues, and perform standard procedures such as spay and neuter, for more complex problems, your rabbit might need to see a specialist vet. Find out about the provision for veterinary care for rabbits at your local clinic, and work out where you would need to go if they were unable to treat your pet. A loss of appetite or watery stools are conditions that in most pets (and people) tend to be minor issues that will resolve themselves within a day or so. However, both problems can be a veterinary emergency for rabbits, and so if your rabbit is off color with either of these symptoms, contact your vet right away. It is a good idea to gain a basic understanding of rabbit health, and learn how to recognize some of the most common problems that can potentially afflict rabbits. These include problems with the teeth, which may require attention from your vet, and a range of other issues including ear mites, digestive issues, and flystrike. Some serious problems can be prevented with vaccination, such as myxomatosis, and so your rabbit should be vaccinated as soon as they are old enough. Children should not be permitted to handle rabbits unsupervised, and rabbits do not make a good pet for young children. Rabbits are very delicate and fragile animals that can easily be harmed or frightened, and so only older children who are experienced with rabbits should be in charge of their full time care.
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