Rick Fisher has been capturing life through a lens since he worked on his high school yearbook. Now, with less than a year to live, he's creating a final love letter of sorts that will help others. Fisher spends a lot of time in his wheelchair and wearing an oxygen mask. His lungs are only functioning at 50 percent. "I always thought I was going to live to be like my dad," Fisher said. "He was 88. So, when you're 69 and someone tells you-you're not going to make it to your 70th birthday...that's pretty tough." Fisher was told in March he only has 10 months to live. He has ALS, an unkind disease that robs the body of its strength and abilities. "With so little time left, I shouldn't be able to swallow and I shouldn't be able to speak," he said. But to Fisher, this is not a story of sadness, but of dedication and love. "I celebrate every day," Fisher said. "When I get up, I say to Beth Fisher's wife 'It's going to be a good day!' and she says Why? I say, Well, first, I'm breathing. The second is I'm going to work in the studio all day!'" Fisher can no longer operate a camera, but he can operate his computer. He clicks and creates. He sorts through some 50,000 photos, narrowing down each one. To read more on this story, click here:Durham Man With ALS Uses Love Of Animals, Photography To Raise Money For Animal Shelters
When people see spiders in their homes, their first reaction is often to squish the tiny arachnids. A lot of people are afraid of spiders, but immediately killing them may not be the best way to go about things since these creatures are far more important than most people know. Harmless House Spiders Part of the reason why so many people are afraid of spiders is because they assume that every "big" spider they encounter is something dangerous such as a brown recluse or a black widow, most spiders you find in your home are either cobweb spiders or cellar spiders. To read more on this story, click here:Why You Should Never Kill Spiders in Your House
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YouTube sensation the slow loris might look adorable, but it can kill humans... and we are killing them out in return. It’s was the latest YouTube sensation in 2012: a small, furry creature with huge eyes and arms raised above its head is being tickled. More than 12 million people have watched this and another film of a similar animal holding a cocktail umbrella. Many of those probably thought ‘What a lovely creature, how cute’. Professor Anna Nekaris is a Professor in Anthropology and Primate Conservation studying the unique group of evolutionary distinct primates known as the Asian lorises. You can read more about her HERE. Professor Anna Nekaris: It breaks my heart. The animal in the films is a ‘slow loris’, a nocturnal primate from Asia, a close cousin to monkeys. I’ve spent almost 20 years studying them and I know just how cruel those films are.
Sad tale: Primatologist Anna Nekaris with a slow loris which is illegally on sale in the market in Indonesia.
Misleading: The YouTube video of a loris 'being tickled' (left) has been seen by 12 million people - but it is endangering the lives of lorises in the wild (right) Yes, they are beautiful animals but they are not in this world to perform tricks on the internet - they’re not even suitable as pets. They are venomous, the only primate to be so, and are known as the ‘jungle gremlins’ because of their benign appearance coupled with a flesh-rotting poison, which can be fatal to humans. Although evolution has given the slow loris some unique attributes, like so many other species, nature alone cannot protect it from all the 21st century threats. Their natural forest habitat is disappearing at an alarming rate, the use of them in traditional Asian medicine continues to decimate the population and now, thanks to YouTube and other internet sites, exacerbates their demand as exotic pets, putting them at huge risk. I went undercover with a BBC film crew in Jakarta, Indonesia, to find out the extent of the shocking trade in these wonderful but shy animals. What I saw reduced me to tears. The loris first emerged as a distinct lineage more than 40 million years ago. Unlike similar primates it can’t leap at all – its tail is reduced to a stub but instead has an extraordinary vice-like grip by which it manouevres Ninja-like through the trees. In its natural habitat, high above the ground and shrouded by the darkness of night, it makes rapid and elegant progress from branch to branch.
Wide-eyed wonder: The slow loris is a beautiful animal, but they are not in this world to perform tricks on the internet - they're not even suitable as pets. But on the ground it feels ill at ease, and under bright daytime light is insecure, unsure of itself and vulnerable. Its movements become unsteady and, well, slow. Hence, the less than flattering name. Apart from its extraordinary grip it also has a powerful bite, able to chisel through the bark of trees and even bamboo. It sounds not unlike a woodpecker when it’s feeding, using its two tongues to extract gum, syrup and nectar from the vegetation. It also consumes insect larvae and even small bats and lizards. In turn, the slow loris can fall victim to pythons and orang-utans but the biggest threat is, of course, mankind. And that threat comes in several forms. The slow loris lives in the trees – it needs forests to survive. Yet in the parts of the Asian world that is its natural habitat the forests are disappearing at an alarming rate. On Java, the main island of Indonesia, there is only 10 per cent of the forest left and here the slow loris population is falling at a terrifying rate. In one of Java’s best-protected forests, we came across only six wild animals in a whole year. One of the great misfortunes of the slow loris is that it is much sought after in traditional Asian medicine. Known as the ‘animal that cures 100 diseases’ it’s widely used in traditional healing remedies in China, Laos, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. Add to that its popularity as a pet in Asia and it’s new fame in the west and you have the elements of a major onslaught on the loris population which could drive it to extinction. But that is no concern of the people who work in the live animal markets in Java.
Danger: Slow lorises are venomous - the only primate to be so - and are known as the 'jungle gremlins' because of their benign appearance coupled with a flesh-rotting poison, which can be fatal to humans.
Heart-breaking: Nekaris with a box full of slow lorises - when she was searching for the animal in the wide they only saw six of them in a whole year. They were healthy and had their teeth, they were good candidates for release back into the wild - it broke my heart to leave them there when it would have been in my power to set them free. But buying them would be wrong on so many fronts. I would never buy an animal in a market because it just promotes the sale of them. The second any foreigner buys an animal the traders think: ‘Oh, we can sell them to foreigners’ and the trade escalates. If I had bought them, he would have just got four more. The moment he sells one he just replaces it. The whole trade is just so sick. The ‘catchers’ make around 25 pence for a slow loris, the traders then sell them for £25. But international trade can see a single slow loris being sold for between £900-£1,800. Everyone who has seen the film we took in the market has cried. But this trade is made even more heartless by the fact that the slow loris is not even a suitable pet – far from it. It sleeps all day, it smells worse than a whole box of rotten eggs and on top of that it can seriously harm you. It is the only primate in the world that is poisonous thanks to a dark fluid released from a gland above its elbow which, when mixed with its own saliva, becomes toxic. We are studying the reasons why they may have this - the classic explanation is that it is predator defense - although this is now in dispute with other theories being that it makes them unpalatable and so protects themselves and their young.
In the wild: One of the primates in its natural habitat.
Not pets: The animal only has a stump of a tail but has an extremely strong grip. The effect of the poison is to cause wounds to fester – it works as an anti-coagulant. The necrotic effect means that the tissue dies and the flesh rots. Another theory suggests they may have venomous glands as a way of destroying rivals over territory - they do attack other slow lorises who then die a slow death. The danger to humans is generally an allergic reaction, in some cases their bites have triggered anaphylactic shock and death. Even if the reaction is not that severe the bite alone from the razor sharp fangs of a slow loris is excruciating, and I should know I have suffered a few bites myself – always on my fingers. That’s why the slow lorises sold as domestic pets have their teeth ripped out first. It’s cruel and unnecessary because they shouldn’t be kept as pets at all. Yet, the new interest in the animals generated by the internet and the films on YouTube produce a stream of inquiries on forums asking if people can get one as a pet. The correct answer is: you can’t. Or at least, you shouldn’t be able to, because the trade in them is illegal. The YouTube films create the impression that the slow loris is a cute domestic animal. So let’s demand YouTube take these cruel movies down from the internet and allow the slow loris to return to the darkness of the forest.
They may not be the fastest or the smartest or even the scariest, but when it comes to beating cancer, elephants are the superheroes of the living world. It's a phenomenon that has baffled scientists since the 1970s. After all, at their size, they should have a much higher rate of the disease. The larger a living thing, the more the cells, and the more the cells, the more chance one of them turns out to be cancerous -- which is why tall people are more vulnerable to the disease than short people and why Marmaduke is much more likely to get cancer than the Taco Bell Chihuahua. And yet, cancer rates among elephants is less than 5 percent, comparable to the rates in much smaller animals. The lifetime cancer mortality rate for humans is about 20 percent. So what gives? With all those cells on their body, why are more elephants not stricken by the disease? Scientists may have found an answer. In a paper published in the journal Cell Reports Tuesday, researchers from the University of Chicago announced they may have discovered one of the cancer protection mechanisms the pachyderms have evolved to deal with every time a cell may be corrupted. "What we found is that elephants have an extra copy of the gene whose job it is to kill the cell when there is the kind of stress that causes cancer," said Vincent Lynch, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Chicago in Illinois and an author of the study. The fact that this gene was even functional was extraordinary -- it was supposed to be non-functional or "dead". Yet somehow this "zombie" gene, called leukemia inhibitory factor 6 (LIF6), had evolved in elephants to come back from the dead and slay any cell that showed damage to its DNA, thus preventing it from becoming cancerous. This is the second study that has found the differences in elephant genome that may explain the animal's ability to resist the disease. In 2015, two teams of scientists -- one led by Lynch from the University of Chicago and the other from the University of Utah -- found in elephants 20 copies of a major cancer-suppressing gene called p53 that helps damaged cells repair themselves or self-destruct when exposed to cancer-causing substances. Both these discoveries could have implications for the human fight against cancer, Lynch said. "If we understand the function of this gene and all the other genes that makes elephants cancer-resistant, maybe we'll be able to develop drugs that mimic those functions and then use that to treat people with the disease," he said. And there's hope that over time, scientists will come upon more such discoveries. Other creatures, such as some types of whales, bats and mole rats, also show unusual resistance to cancer, and they have none of the extra genes found in elephants -- which means they must have evolved their very own cancer protection mechanisms. But don't cheer yet. Even if Lynch's findings in 2015 and 2018 are replicated and confirmed, there's still a long way to go. "Developing new drug treatments is a very complex process and it takes decades," Lynch said. "We always hear the news that there is some discovery and that a new treatment based on that discovery is five to 10 years away but it's never five to 10 years. So this is going to be a very long process." "Of course," he added, "I guess we've been dealing with cancer for billions of years, so you know, a couple of decades isn't that long in the grand scheme of things."
The best way to avoid litter box issues is to find the right cat litter box and cat litter that will keep your cat happy and comfortable. There are many types of cat litter from which to choose, including those made of clay, corn, coconut husks, wheat, wood, walnuts, recycled newspaper or silica gel crystals. Each variety has its own benefits, so you can choose one based on your preference and your cat’s preference. A finicky cat will quickly let you know if they do not like their litter; take note, as cats will quickly develop bad habits (ie. not using their litter box) if their demands are not answered. There are also many types of litter boxes, including open litter pans in a variety of shapes and sizes; covered litter boxes in a variety of shapes, sizes and designs; automatic and self-cleaning litter boxes; high tech litter systems; toilet training systems and decorative furniture options that hide the litter box. Your Litter Options The texture you select matters to your cat, as she will be stepping on it. Litter also comes in scented and unscented formulas, as well as varied degrees of absorbency and odor control. Litter products also offer different degrees of clumping, resulting in how scoop-friendly the product is to use. Odor elimination is extremely important to pet parents, and litter products vary in their ability to eliminate odors. Scented litters are designed to mask odors from the litter box. Some cats can be deterred by strong scents and may prefer unscented litters. There are many scent-free brands that rely on ingredients such as carbon and natural plant extracts that work to absorb odors from urine and feces to reduce litter box smells, keeping both you and your kitty happy. Some litters are also more earth-conscious, made from recycled or sustainable products and can be repurposed as mulch. Some are flushable. Ultimately, the right litter for your cat is not only one that she is happy to use but also one that will effectively deal with odor issues. Here are the main types of litter and their characteristics: Clay: This is the original cat litter and still the most popular type on the market. Clay clumps hard and quickly. Many brands rely on materials such as carbon and plant extracts to remove odors. Clay is not biodegradable. If anyone in your family has respiratory issues, this may not be the best option, as not all clay brands are dust-free. Corn: Litter made from corn contains natural clumping and odor-absorbing materials. It is dust-free, biodegradable and earth-conscious. It’s available in natural and scented formulas. Coconut husks: Litter made from coconut husks is dust-free, biodegradable, earth-conscious and made from a renewable resource. It clumps lightly, but is scoopable and can be recycled in garden compost with the clumps and fecal solids removed. Wheat: Wheat contains starch inside the kernels, which makes the product clump and exposes natural enzymes that neutralize odors. Wheat litter is dust-free, biodegradable, earth-conscious and made from a renewable resource. Wood: This type of litter comes in pellet form and is a natural pine wood by-product. The pine scent is a natural deodorizer. Pine litter doesn’t clump. Wood litter is dust-free, environmentally safe, biodegradable and can be used for landscape mulch and compost with the soiled product and fecal matter removed. Walnut-based: Made from walnut shells, this litter is absorbent, biodegradable, earth-conscious and made from a renewable resource. It’s available in quick-clumping and non-clumping formulas. Recycled newspaper: This litter is made from recycled newspapers and thus is eco-friendly. It is available in pellet form and absorbs urine. It does not clump. Works well with deodorizer additives. Silica-based gel crystals: Silica is a natural mineral that is highly absorbent and can be re-used by one cat over a period of one month. The crystals absorb all moisture and appear dry again. They’re also trackless and dust-free. Should you decide to switch to a new litter, the best way to transition is to do it slowly over a period of seven to 10 days by adding small amounts of the new litter to the old until you have transitioned over completely. This way, most cats will adapt to the new brand without incident. If your kitty is avoiding her litter box, try giving her a simultaneous selection of different litter types to choose from by putting down three or four boxes with different litters in each one and see if she prefers one over another. This could be a quick fix for a litter box problem. Note: If your cat starts to suddenly go to the bathroom outside of her litter box, your first call should always be to your veterinarian. Many medical conditions can cause a change in a cat’s litter box habits. Because felines are finicky and possessive when it comes to litter boxes, a good rule of thumb is to provide one box per cat in the household, plus one extra, if possible. Different Types of Litter Boxes There is also a huge selection of litter boxes to choose from and it’s important to choose one that your cat is comfortable using. Whether you have a large adult cat or a tiny kitten, your litter box can never be too big. The way to gauge the correct size is to ensure that your cat can turn round comfortably inside without touching the edges. This is extremely important for adult cats because some breeds such as Maine Coons are bigger than others. Rectangular open litter boxes are available in a variety of fun colors to match your home décor. Some styles have low entry points and high sides to contain litter inside the box when your cat digs and scratches. There are also designs that fit comfortably into a corner. Covered litter boxes also come in a variety of styles and colors. Many are manufactured from materials that contain antibacterial properties to further control odors. Others have special carbon filters. Check the actual size of the elimination area inside a closed box to ensure it’s large enough for a big cat to circle around. There is a growing selection of self-cleaning litter boxes that can be set to clean approximately 20 minutes after the cat has exited the box. These self-cleaning solutions rake the litter to remove the waste into a special cartridge that can be emptied on a weekly basis rather than daily. Timid cats may be scared by the noise of the cleaning mechanism even if they are in another part of the room when it starts raking. Consequently, such boxes are only ideal for very secure kitties. High tech litter systems flush waste material and wash re-useable litter granules, meaning that feline pet parents never have to scoop. Such systems have to be attached to the plumbing system in your home. Again, it’s important to ensure that it’s positioned in an area where your cat is comfortable using it, such as a family bathroom. Avoid placing litter boxes near noisy appliances such as a washing machine or dryer, which could spook your cat and cause her to avoid her litter box. Taking the time to select and maintain a litter box based on your needs and your cat’s preferences will go a long way toward avoiding negative litter box behaviors in the future and result in a happier, healthier life together.
You don’t need money to be kind to animals. When I saw this picture I knew that I had to share it with the world. I am not sure where this picture was taken or who the woman is, but if you ever heard the saying that a "picture is worth a thousand words"…this is it! This heartwarming picture is a reminder that we all should be kind to animals. God bless her.
Pet theft is on the rise. The American Kennel Club, which has been tracking pet thefts since 2007, reported a 32% increase in dog thefts last year. While some animals are snatched from their yards or during home invasions, opportunistic thieves most commonly steal dogs left in cars or tied up outside stores. In the ASPCA’s hometown of New York City, dognappings skyrocket every summer as pet parents take advantage of nice weather to combine dog-walking with errand-running. Protect Your Pet Avoid becoming a victim of this heartbreaking crime! When running errands around town, visit pet-friendly establishments or please leave your dog at home. Keep a close eye on your pet in designated off-leash areas, where he could become a target for criminals looking to make a quick buck. (Pet thieves often try to resell—or even hold for ransom—stolen dogs.) Avoid leaving your pet unattended in the front yard, especially if your lawn is exposed or accessible. The same rules apply for leaving your pet tied up outside a store. In addition to being vulnerable to theft and teasing, your dog might escape or get injured. Microchip your pet! Microchipping can often mean the difference between temporary and permanent separation from your furry loved one.
"Leash laws" generally require dogs to be on a leash and under control whenever they're off their owners' property, unless a specific area is designated for unleashed dogs. Some laws apply only at night (when dogs may form packs and do the most damage to livestock) or allow an owner to have a dog unleashed if it is under "reasonable control."8 Even dog owners who let their dogs off a leash only because they're confident they have complete control over them are probably in violation of a leash law. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says, Pet owners who allow their pets to roam unattended are putting the animals' welfare in jeopardy and creating a nuisance to neighbors, other domestic pets and wildlife. Allowing dogs to run off leash in inappropriate places is dangerous for the dog, puts people and other animals at risk and, in many towns and cities, is illegal. Leash laws exist to protect animals and people, and as a responsible pet owner, you should abide by them. Any animal control officer, police officer, or appropriate law enforcement agent can issue a summons upon witnessing a violation. Contact your local humane organization or animal control facility to determine what laws apply in your area.
If you are considering ordering your pet's medication online, please read what the ASPCA says about online pet medications. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) does not recommend that pet parents forgo purchasing pet drugs on the Internet altogether, but encourages the active participation of your veterinarian in any decision to medicate your pet. “All pet drugs should be prescribed by a veterinarian after an in-person physical exam, and should either be purchased from that veterinarian or out sourced to a reputable pharmacy, whether on- or off-line,” says Dr. Camille DeClementi, ASPCA Senior Director of Medical Records. Tips for Buying Pet Drugs Online Order from a Web site that belongs to a Vet-VIPPS accredited pharmacy. Vet-VIPPS—the Veterinary-Verified Internet Pharmacy Practice Sites is a voluntary accreditation program of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP). NABP gives the Vet-VIPPS seal to online pharmacies that dispense prescription animal drugs and comply with NABP's strict criteria, including federal and state licensing and inspection requirements, protecting patient confidentiality, quality assurance, and validity of prescription orders. Look for the Vet-VIPPS seal displayed on a pharmacy's Web site or check with NABP5 (click on "Accreditation Programs") to find out if a pharmacy is Vet-VIPPS accredited. Because this is a new program, begun in 2009, a small number of pharmacies are currently Vet-VIPPS accredited. Order from an outsourced prescription management service that your veterinarian uses. These state-licensed Internet pharmacy services work directly with the veterinarian, require that a prescription be written by the veterinarian, and support the veterinarian-client-patient relationship. Ask your veterinary hospital if it uses an Internet pharmacy service. Pharmacies that are currently Vet-VIPPS accredited: 1-800-PetMeds Drs Foster & Smith Pharmacy PetCareRx, Inc SmartPak VetCentric VetRxDirect
According to the American Kennel Club, nearly 20 percent of dog owners include their dog in their wedding. While dogs are most common, bridal planners also see cats, rabbits, birds, horses, and reptiles. A pet might serve as flower girl or best man. Would you consider having your dog participate in your wedding? Dogs are becoming the new untraditional participants in wedding ceremonies. They are either being entrusted with roles such as ring bearers, bridesmaids, and groomsmen or are simply present during the ceremony to bear witness to their owner’s nuptials. This is probably because dogs are the most socially acceptable pet to be seen out and about with in public and also because they can be trained quite easily to perform at your wedding. There are many advantages of having your pet participate in your wedding day. It’s a lovely way to personalize your wedding day and to bring a smile to everyone’s faces. You don’t have to dress your pet in a tuxedo to raise a smile from your guests - the novelty of a pet being present at your wedding will be enough to make them smile. It also makes your wedding less of a formal occasion and can lighten up the mood which is always a good thing. Weddings are not supposed to be somber affairs! Finally, if you do not have nieces, nephews or little ones to act as flower girls or ring bearer, then a pet is a perfect alternative! In the same way they love to see a cute flower girl or ring bearer walking up the aisle…they will enjoy seeing a dog walk down the aisle, it brings a fun element to the wedding.
I am not an expert on this subject. All of the views below come from other sources. I would like to know what you think about Animal Hoarding. The Humane Society of the United States says: What is an animal hoarder? An animal hoarder is a person who amasses more animals than he/she can properly care for. Such individuals generally fail to recognize or refuse to acknowledge when the animals in their custody become victims of gross neglect. Animal hoarders are sometimes referred to as animal "collectors" or animal "addicts." The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) says: What Is Animal Hoarding? Animal hoarding is a complex and intricate public health and community issue. Its effects are far-reaching and encompass mental health, animal welfare and public safety concerns. For more information on animal hoarding, visit: How Animal Hoarding Develops
On this Veteran’s Day, I would like to honor our military working dogs. They are on the front lines. They are the ones that check for bombs to protect man. They are the ones that go into places man can’t go.❤️
If you are both aquarium enthusiasts, you may want to consider oranda goldfish as your first pets together. These beautiful fish develop large hoods called wens on their heads and are as friendly as they are attractive. Understanding proper care for these delicate fish is vital for their longevity. Educate yourself on the specific needs of oranda goldfish. Common goldfish such as the shubunken have flat, long bodies; but orandas have large, round bodies that make them slow swimmers -- they do not compete well for food with more active species. Their hooded heads are also prone to disease from bacteria and unclean water, so they are not tolerant to polluted water. In addition, unlike other types of goldfish, orandas must have stable water temperatures: not too cold, because they do not thrive if the temperatures in their tanks dips too low. Choose a tank suitable for your fancy goldfish. Orandas do best in tanks that provide plenty of room to swim. In addition, these hardy fish may reach sizes of 10 to 12 inches (25cm to 30cm) in length, making a spacious home necessary. A long or rectangular tank with capacity of at least 20 to 30 gallons (76l to 114l) will give your pets the space they need to thrive. Set up your fancy aquatic pets' tank with a filter and heater. Because orandas do not do well in dirty water, a filtration system will help keep their watery environment fresh and clean. An aquarium heater is a must for these fancy fish that are prone to temperature shock if their water temperatures dip too low. To read more on this story, click here:How to Care for Oranda Goldfish
When Sue and Robin McGibbon took their beloved Labrador Abby for her annual check-up last month, they thought the most they had to worry about was slightly increased creakiness in her joints. "She’d had problems with arthritis for some time, but it was growing worse and we didn’t want to see her in pain," says Sue. "Our vet had always tried to treat her with homeopathic remedies, but this time he gave her an anti-inflammatory drug." The family took Abby home, hoping life would become more comfortable for her. Instead, she suddenly became seriously ill. For six days she suffered endless bouts of vomiting and diarrhea before suffering paralysis in her hind legs. Eventually, Robin and Sue, from Bickley, Kent, felt they had no choice but to have her put down. Now, the heartbroken couple and the vet who treated Abby are convinced the drug used to treat her actually killed her. The drug was Carprodyl, which is widely used to treat millions of dogs in Britain and around the world. Vet Paul Grant had believed the drug, whose active ingredient is the painkiller and anti-inflammatory carprofen, to be safe. He has decided to speak to the Mail in the hope of raising awareness over the drug’s potential dangers. "I’ve never seen a dog deteriorate like this from using a medicine that was supposedly safe," says the vet, who had treated 13-year-old Abby since she was a puppy. "Carprodyl is what we call a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, and Abby had been on a similar one before with no problems. But this was different. "I’m heartbroken for the family, and feel devastated by what happened. I’ll never prescribe that drug again." Such an impassioned reaction from a vet who deals with animal deaths on a daily basis is unusual, yet he does not believe owners or vets have been made properly aware of the drug’s potential dangers.
The vet who gave Carprodyl to Abby the Labrador has since said he will never prescribe the controversial anti-inflammatory drug again. This is exacerbated by the fact Britain has a complicated system of reporting reactions to animal drugs, so it’s almost impossible to gauge how many other dogs like Abby there have been. In the U.S., however, where the drug has been on the market for five years longer than in Britain and where the reporting system is more transparent, concerns have been raised for more than a decade. Shockingly, this supposedly "safe" drug is thought to have killed at least 3,200 dogs. Civil claims for damages have been settled with bereaved dog owners and campaigns have been waged to warn of carprofen’s potential dangers. On this side of the Atlantic, however, dog owners are kept worryingly in the dark, something that haunts the McGibbons. "We would never have allowed Abby to take this medication if we had known about the potential side-effects," says Sue. "She was a wonderful dog, full of personality. It is difficult to describe the horror of watching her deteriorate. She only went in for a check-up, but we lost her." Carprofen was first marketed in the U.S. in 1997 by Pfizer Animal Health as a treatment for arthritic dogs. It works by restricting the production of chemicals that cause inflammation. Marketed with the brand name Rimadyl, it was an instant success. In 2002 the drug was launched in Britain, where it has been similarly popular. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which licenses medicines, soon began receiving thousands of reports of adverse reactions. One complaint was from Jean Townsend, 75, from South Carolina. "I had a chocolate Labrador called George," she tells me. "My vet noticed he was limping and said Rimadyl could help." "But he began to go off his food and then started vomiting and passing bloody faeces." Within a month, George was dead. A post-mortem examination revealed he had liver damage, bleeding and gut ulceration. Jean sued and was joined by 300 other people in a class action that was settled by Pfizer in 2004 for $1,000 per owner, but the company didn’t admit liability. "We would never have allowed Abby to take this medication if we had known about the potential side-effects."
Dangerous: In the U.S., where Carprodyl has been on the market for longer, it has claimed that the drug could have killed as many as 3,200 dogs (stock picture). Subsequently, Pfizer was twice ordered by the FDA to beef up its warnings, eventually to include "death" as a possible side-effect.
"I have no doubt this drug does benefit many dogs, but others have a terrible, sometimes fatal reaction," says Jean. "The drug companies have never satisfactorily explained that and they should." In its defense, Pfizer points out that fewer than 1 per cent of animals react badly to Rimadyl, and that of those the vast majority recover. Pfizer and other drug companies also point out with justification that many of the dogs that benefit from taking carprofen would otherwise be in so much pain they would have to be put down. "For any medicine to be licensed by the regulatory authorities, it must meet rigorous quality, safety and efficacy standards," says a Pfizer spokesman. ‘Carprofen has been licensed in the UK for more than ten years and millions of tablets have been prescribed during this time. "We would encourage anyone who has a concern to speak to their vet, who can then report it." "I have no doubt that this drug does benefit many dogs, but others have a terrible - sometimes fatal - reaction." In Britain, animal pharmaceuticals are licensed and monitored by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), a branch of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. It runs a system of reporting bad reactions to drugs called the Suspected Adverse Reaction Surveillance Scheme (SARSS), but this is discretionary, not compulsory. Harvey Locke, past president of the British Veterinary Association, says there might be a case for making reporting mandatory, but adds: "There would need to be strict guidelines laying down exactly when a report should be made. At present it is up to the discretion of the vet." Mr. Locke, in common with most vets, believes carprofen is perfectly safe in most cases, but he and his colleagues have no way of knowing how many animals are reacting badly to it. Here’s why. Carprodyl, the branded carprofen that was given to Abby, was given a license for Buckinghamshire-based Ceva Animal Health in 2008. Potential side-effects listed on the Veterinary Medicines Directorate website include: vomiting, soft feces/diarrhea, fecal occult blood, loss of appetite and lethargy, which in very rare cases may be serious or fatal. It also lists rare incidences of gastro-intestinal bleeding. However, as side-effects do not have to be reported to the VMD, there is no way of knowing the true scale of the problem. "I have treated dozens of dogs where these drugs have upset their stomach, but this would not come under SARSS reporting," says Mr. Locke. Disturbingly, when I repeatedly asked the VMD how many adverse reports it had received about drugs containing carprofen, I was initially told "it would not be simple" to find out. Later I was told I would have to make a Freedom of Information request for the figures, which could take six weeks. In the U.S., adverse reaction figures are freely available from the FDA to any member of the public. In Britain, pet owners are told the figures could be "commercially sensitive" even though the same drug companies operate in both countries. For any medicine to be licensed by the regulatory authorities, it must meet rigorous quality, safety and efficacy standards. Instead, it was left to Ceva Animal Health to tell me that in the case of Carprodyl, there have been just four SARSS reports, including Abby’s death. During the past year, the company has sold 1.7 million doses of the drug. "We think this is proven to be a very safe drug," says Martin Mitchell, Ceva’s global director of communications. "I have four dogs, and two of them are on Carprodyl. I would never put any animal at risk, least of all my own." In the case of Abby, Robin, 68, and his wife Sue feel certain carprofen caused her death. But they’ll never be able to prove it. In the U.S., however, one couple believe they have evidence directly linking carprofen to the death of their golden retriever, Sophie. Christopher Cooper and Shelley Smith filed a lawsuit against Pfizer last year after six-year-old Sophie was given the drug, as Rimadyl, to help recover from ligament surgery on a knee. "We were given the drugs without any information on potential side-effects," Christopher, a 45-year-old businessman, tells me from his home in Colorado. "If I had known, there’s no way we would have given her Rimadyl. She was in the prime of life." Instead, she suffered a similar reaction to Abby’s and had to be put down. ‘We have no doubt this drug killed Sophie,’ says Shelley. The couple’s solicitor, Jennifer Edwards, says: "Since I filed the lawsuit last July, I’ve been contacted by hundreds of dog owners who say they’d like to join a class action. When you consider that kind of response, the company’s safety claims for this drug don’t stack up." Sue and Robin McGibbon wish they’d known all this before allowing Abby to take Carprodyl. Martin Mitchell, of Ceva, sent me a copy of the leaflet his company issues with Carprodyl. It includes all the potential side-effects in full accordance with the law. However, the couple say the pills they got from their veterinary clinic, Tender Paws Ltd, in West Wickham, Kent, appeared to have been repackaged in a "fuchsia-colored" box with a slip of paper inside. I sent them a copy of the official instructions and Sue was shocked when she saw all the potential side-effects warning that the drug could be fatal. "We never got this," she says. "The only side-effects that it warned of was diarrhea." I approached Tender Paws several times, but no one would comment on the repackaging of this drug. All that remains to be seen is whether the Veterinary Medicines Directorate will take any action — and find out if the practice of re-packaging drugs without adequate warnings is widespread. Or will it simply hide behind secrecy and Freedom of Information requests? A watchdog without a bite or even a bark. For any medicine to be licensed by the regulatory authorities, it must meet rigorous quality, safety and efficacy standards. Instead, it was left to Ceva Animal.
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