Your Dog's Health
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Best Friends Pet Care, a national chain offering boarding, grooming, training and day camp, is improving the chance of survival of family pets in emergencies with their 'Cause for Paws' program, which provides pet resuscitation masks for community firefighters.
The Best Friends Pet Care Center in Sudbury, in partnership with Save A Dog, a Massachusetts-based all-breed, all-volunteer dog rescue group, recently donated two sets of specially designed oxygen masks for use on dogs and cats to the Wayland Fire Department.
According to an article in the Wayland Town Crier ("Helping pet rescue"), an anonymous Wayland pet owner donated to Best Friends Pet Care’s "Cause for Paws" program, which matches donated funds, then purchases the lifesaving masks for distribution to the fire departments targeted by the donor.
Susan Adam, manager of Best Friends Sudbury Pet Care Center, and Shirley Moore, president of Save a Dog and Wayland’s Emergency Animal Response team leader, presented the donation to the Wayland firefighter Alexiss Wheeler and her dog, Tiller, on behalf of the Wayland Fire Department.
The City Clerk's Office will be issuing dog licenses at Somerville's Sixth Annual Rabies Vaccination Clinic on Saturday morning, June 3, 2006, from 10:00 to 12:00, at the Animal Control Office in the Public Works complex on Franey Road, across from Trum Field.
The fee is $12.00 for a dog license, or $6.00 if the dog has been spayed or neutered. The cost for the vaccine service is $5.00. No prior record is needed, but vaccines will be for one year only unless a current rabies certificate is supplied. All dogs must be leashed and cats must be in carriers.
The Somerville Dog Owners Group (som|dog) is working to improve the rate at which Somerville residents license our dogs with the City. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that dogs over the age of six months be licensed annually in their city or town. Through dog licensing, municipalities ensure that dogs in the community are properly vaccinated against rabies.
While owners are required by law to license our dogs, there are many other good reasons for Somerville dog owners to get our 2006 dog licenses now:
1. If your dog gets lost, a license tag on your dog's collar is the fastest way for local authorities to return him to you.
2. Your dog's license tag tells people in the community that you are a responsible dog owner: your dog is properly vaccinated against rabies.
3. A current dog license is required if you want to bring your dog to an Off-Leash Recreational Area in Somerville.
4. On July 1, 2006 the fee for a Somerville Dog License will increase to $16.00 (or $12.00 for spayed/neutered dogs)
Dog Licenses are issued at the City Clerk's Office, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143, Monday-Wednesday, 8:30AM-4:00PM, Thursday 8:30AM-7:00PM, and Friday 8:30AM-12:00 Noon. Requests are also accepted by mail.
The City accepts checks or money orders only by mail, and checks, money orders or cash in person. Checks should be made payable to “City of Somerville.” For all requests, please include the following information:
- the owner or owners' name(s), address(es) and telephone number(s).
- the dog's name, breed, color, age or date of birth, and gender (male/female).
- evidence of the dog's most recent rabies vaccine.
- evidence that the dog has been spayed (female)or neutered (male), if applicable.
I received an e-mail from Ward Seven Alderman and Somerville dog owner, Robert Trane, about Deramaxx, a pain reliever which veterinarians continue to prescribe for dogs even though a similar human painkiller, Vioxx, was taken off the market in 2004 in response to reports of illness and death linked to the drug.
According to an article that ran yesterday the Washington Post, "Vioxx Debate Echoed in Battle Over Dog Drugs," by Marc Kaufman, "more than 350 reports of deaths linked to Deramaxx have come into the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine." Deramaxx is the brand name of Deracoxib, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID).
David Stansfield, director of professional relations for Novartis Animal Health, the maker of Deramaxx, says that the company advises "veterinarians not only to inform pet owners of possible side effects . . . but also to conduct blood and sometimes urine tests before the drug is prescribed. Those tests can be expensive, however, and are not routinely done."
The American Veterinary Medical Association opposes efforts to require vets to give out the drugmakers' information because "it's just not the be-all and end-all of the communication that's needed," according to Elizabeth Curry-Galvin, interim director of the AVMA scientific activities division, quoted in the Post.
A miracle drug for one individual may be dangerous or deadly for another. Ask your veterinarian for the consumer information provided by the drug manufacturer and to discuss with you the risks an benefits of the treatment prescribed for your pet.
UPDATE 14 May 2006: In the som|dog "Dog Talk" forum, a member shared another article about Deramaxx that ran a little over a year ago in USA Today, "Even painkillers for dogs have serious risks," by Julie Schmit.
Strummer had a bloody stool a couple of weeks ago. The veterinarian diagnosed "dietary indescretion" and prescribed a bland diet and an antibiotic, the latter to prevent any infection from entering the blood stream through the digestive track. For the next couple of days, Strummer got several small meals a day of steamed chicken and white rice and her antibiotic pill twice a day. After three days on this regimen, I had a new cause of concern: she hadn't pooped in three days. Back to the vet we went, and I learned that I hadn't been feeding her enough for her to make a poop. Though unintentional on my part, underfeeding is in fact a good treatment for an irritated digestive track. The veterinarian checked her out and said I could expect a poop within the next twenty-four hours. Sure enough, that very evening Strummer had a nice, well-formed poop, a little lighter in color than usual, but with good consistency—sticking together but not sticking to the grass—and easy to pick up with a plastic bag.
More information than you needed to know.
But if you're a dog owner, you know that poop speaks louder than words. You keep tabs on your dog's bowels, and if your dog has diarrhea for more than forty-eight hours, or if your dog has not had a bowel movement for forty-eight hours, you call the vet. You bring a sample of your dog's stool to your vet twice a year and have it analyzed for parasites.
But what do you do if you employ a dog walker? Do you get a poop report every day with detailed notes on color, consistency, amount, and time and location of the event(s)?
Your dog walker should be able to answer all these questions and one more equally important question about your dog's poop: Where is it now?
I was speaking recently with a Somerville dog owner, who told me about a dilemma in which she found herself. She has a dog walker, whom she likes a great deal and whom her dog likes a great deal. The dilemma arose because, while in a local park with her children, she happened to espy her beloved dog walker breaking the law by not cleaning up after the dog in her charge.
Your dog's feces is your responsibility. When you hire a dog walker, you should make specific arrangements for waste management. Explain where you keep extra baggies and, if applicable, any other implements for clean-up, where you dog has been trained to do his business1, and where you dispose of the bagged waste. You should also make it clear that her continued employment is contingent on her upholding your standards as a responsible dog owner.
. . .
1One of the most helpful pieces of advice I found when I began to research dog ownership is Sue Sternberg's advice in her book, Successful Dog Adoption, about selecting a potty area:
The potty area should be close to your door. . . . This way, when it rains or snows or you have the flu or sprain an ankle, your dog will be trained to eliminate within a few feet from your door, and you won't have to walk all the way to the park or all the way down the block (156).
Also, if you train your dog to "do it" before he gets to go for a walk, you dog will learn that he gets rewarded with a walk for doing his business. What you don't want is for your dog to learn that he gets "punished" for doing his business, which is exactly what he learns if "walkies" always end after he relieves himself.
On the unfortunate occasion of the untimely loss to heat exhaustion of one of the dogs he bred, Mike Stewart owner of Wildrose Kennels and retriever trainer, offers excellent advice about the prevention of heat exhaustion in hunting dogs. Stewart's advice to sportsmen (and women) is equally valid for pet owners:
A dog who is overheating will be panting heavily in fast repetition and the tongue will be hanging out and curling at the end in cup form. The mouth is dripping and they may have a glazed look in the eye. Often they show signs of a staggered gait or they may simply stand fixed.
This is when the untrained handler gets into serious trouble. One may misread the dog as refusing a cast, command or quitting. Force may be applied to gain compliance pushing the dog too far. Some dogs just don't quit until it's too late. It's up to you to quit before this point.
In other words if your dog ordinarily comes enthusiastically on command, but on a hot summer day stands or lies down where s/he is and stares at you, don't get mad, get your dog out of the sun and get water.
Know your dog. Strummer's tongue hardly ever hangs out of her mouth: when it does, even if she looks like s/he's having the time of her life, I know it's time for a rest and a drink.
I've also noticed—in the Memorial Day Parade, at Paws in the Park, and at ArtBeat—that she will not drink water even when I know that she is overheated. This could be because she is too distracted to drink; because she thinks she is "working" and, as a former show dog, (inadvertently) learned not to drink when she is performing; or because the water in the plastic bottle is too warm. Whatever the reason, it's bad, and it's my job, as the only one of us that does not have a brain the size of a lemon, to get her out of the sun and cooled off.
Someone mentioned this at the som|dog meeting last night:
The City of Somerville will be having a fireworks display Thursday evening, June 30, beginning at 9:15 p.m. at Trum Field. If you live near Trum Field and your dog does not like loud noises, you may want to plan your evening so that s/he is not home alone during the fireworks or arrange an excursion for the whole family on Thursday evening.
The fireworks are part of the Summertime in Somerville festivities. In addition to the fireworks on Thursday night, the City is hosting Family Fun Day at Trum Field, Saturday afternoon, July 2. Families that include dogs are not welcome to enjoy Family Fun Day together: Trum Field is posted "No Dogs Allowed."
If your dog does like loud noises and crowds, leashed dogs are allowed on the Esplanade in Boston. Boston's Independence Day festivities will be held on the Esplanade, Monday, July 4, 2005.
I just learned that one of my favorite Somerville dogs may be infected with canine oral papillomavirus: He has warts in his mouth. Poor thing! He can't play with other dogs until the infection clears up.
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual,
canine mucous membrane papillomatosis . . . primarily affects young dogs [and] is characterized by the presence of multiple warts on oral mucous membranes from lips to (occasionally) the esophagus and on the conjunctival mucous membranes and adjacent haired skin. When the oral cavity is severely affected, there is interference with mastication and swallowing. A viral etiology has been clearly established for these lesions.
According to the Pet Health Care Library (VeterinaryPartner.com)
The infection is transmitted via contact with the papillomas on an infected dog. The incubation period is 1 to 2 months. This virus can only be spread among dogs. It is not contagious to other pets or to humans. . . .
[Viral papillomas] should go away on their own as the dog's immune system matures and generates a response against the papillomavirus. . . . Typically, it takes 1 to 5 months for papillomas to regress with oral growths tending to regress sooner than ocular growths.
I just learned about dog-trainer Nancy Freedman-Smith's blog, "A Dog's Life." The Canine University e-mail newsletter refered to Freedman-Smith's recent post, "No vaccines for us this year." Friedman-Smith advises pet owners to request that our veterinarians, before administering annual vaccinations, perform a titer to determine if our pet already has adequate levels of antibodies in her blood to protect her from disease. Good advice.
Friedman-Smith also discusses the advocacy work of Kris Christine to pass legislation requiring more detailed disclosure on animal vaccinations in Maine.
You can learn more about pet vaccine legislation tonight on the 11:00 news. In an e-mail printed in the CU newsletter I received this morning, Christine writes,
News about the pet vaccine issue is spreading rapidly and getting more national coverage. NBC's Boston station, WHDH-7 News, sent journalist Christina Mattingly and her cameraman to Alna to interview us as part of a pet vaccine story they are running Wednesday night at 11:00 p.m., May 18th.
A letter printed in the Globe today, in response to the latest electrocutions of dogs in Boston, points to the scope of the problems that endanger us and our pets in public spaces ("NStar is only part of problem"). Monica Ponce de Leon, Associate Professor of Architecture at Harvard University explains that there are no safety standards regulating construction work in public open spaces comparable to the safety standards to which workers are held accountable in the construction of buildings.
We have safety mechanisms that protect the public from faulty work in the construction of buildings; not so for the construction of our streets. When we build a home, a business, or even a public building, electricians must be certified and comply with drawings designed by engineers. Moreover, their work is reviewed by Inspectional Services before completion and the spaces can be occupied. Not so in our public spaces.
Ponce de Leon commends Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate, Maura Hennigan, for introducing a bill that addresses these issues.
Here in Somerville, Aldermen Dennis Sullivan (At Large) and Robert Trane (Ward 7) recently submitted an order
that the Superintendent of Lights and Lines immediately survey all roadways for possible electrical shocks to pedestrians or animals, and work with the utility to immediately rectify any problems (Agenda for the Board of Aldermen Meeting, March 10, 2005).
With all due respect to Aldermen Sullivan and Trane (and I do respect them) for their initiative, if the claims made in the letter in today's Globe are true for Somerville, and there are no standards in place to insure that future work is completed with regard to public safety, the risk to residents and our pets may not be mitigated by surveying and rectifying existing problems.
If these claims are true, I'm going to think twice whenever I have to cross a bridge. -Canis Major
Following two cases—one of them fatal—in which dogs were electrocuted in Boston this week, the City of Boston will form a task force to investigate the electrocution of dogs, according to a report by Christine Caswell on New England Cable News (NECN) yesterday evening.
Both stories below are from WCBV-TV The Boston Channel (Channel 5):
Boston dog owners are organizing to be attentive, when they are out walking their dogs, for damaged, removed or newly installed electrical devices and to report any concerns to the City so that sites of concern can be cheked for their safety.
The following first aid and emergency care tips for electrocution are from VeterinaryPartner.com.
In order to avoid injury to yourself, it is imperative that you do not touch the pet until the electrical source has been turned off or moved. What to Do
- Unplug the electrical cord or shut off the electricity.
- If this is not possible, use a dry wooden broom or other non-conductive object to move the pet away from the source of the electricity.
- Check for breathing and pulse. Begin CPR if necessary.
- If the pet is breathing, check its mouth for burns. Apply cool compresses to burns.
- Cover the pet with a blanket to prevent heat loss.
- Seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.
What NOT to Do
- Do not fail to get the pet examined even though she seems perfectly normal after being separated from the source of electricity.
- Do not give any medications or liquids unless instructed to by a veterinarian.
Any animal that has suffered electrocution should be taken to a veterinarian, even if there are no apparent complications. Electrocution is a life-threatening emergency. It may cause abnormal electrical activity of the heart or a build-up of fluid in the lungs which could be fatal hours after the shock.
via Boston Dogs and Ringer Playground Dog Park Group
Have you been noticing bright blue stuff on the edges of cleared sidewalks and thinking, like me, "that can't be good."
There are several blue-colored ice melt products available, including Blue Heat Deicer, which, according to the manufacturer, Provincial Paper & Packaging Ltd., "will not harm vegetation and is safer [than conventional road salt or rock salt] for people and pets when properly applied," and Sodium Chloride based Winter Storm® Blue, "available only to the Janitorial/Sanitation" trades, from North American Salt Company, which, they say, "won?t irritate or burn the skin," and which "contains Potassium Chloride, which is not only an effective ice melting ingredient, but is also a natural fertilizer for grass, trees and other vegetation."
According to Gaia Enterprises Inc., the manufacturer of the green-colored Safe Paw?,
rock salt and other salt-based ice melters contain sodium chloride or potassium chloride which can heat up to 175 degrees when exposed to water, ice and low temperatures. . . . Exposure [to] or digesting these salt compounds can cause health problems for pets and children. . . .
For dogs, in particular, exposure to salt and salt-based ice melt products can mean an unhealthy winter and unplanned trips to the vet's office or animal hospital. The problem is that when dogs are let out they frolic and eat the snow and many of the ice melt products sit on the surface of the ice. Dogs either ingest these ice melt pellets or they get frozen into their paws. Later when they are inside with higher temperatures the ice melts and dogs begin to lick their paws.
In addition to preventing your pet from ingesting rock salt and other dangerous chemicals, special attention should be given to your pet's paws:
Among their guidelines for keeping pets safe and healthy in the winter, the Humane Society of the United States advises that pet owners "wipe the feet with a damp towel before your pet licks them and irritates his/her mouth."
Sandy Moyer, Dogs Editor at BellaOnline, The Voice of Women! recommends that dog owners "inspect paws after walking in areas treated with salt and other de-icers. Check between toes and examine the foot pads for cracks in the skin. Look closely at any inflamed areas for splinters, embedded gravel, etc."
When Sue Lundstrom hit middle age, she knew she was going to have to work harder to keep the pounds from creeping up on her.
So she grabbed a leash and took her dogs for a walk. ``Once I turned 40, I realized I needed to do a lot of walking to keep off weight,'' said Lundstrom, 45, who walks a 3-mile path in North Reading with her dogs, Bert and Thomas, five times a week.
Via the Boston Herald.
Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc., the makers of Science Diet® and Prescription Diet®1 sponsored the People and Pets Exercising Together (P-PET) study, a study of "the effectiveness of treatment of both overweight people and overweight pet dogs in a combined targeted program compared to focusing on people alone and pet dogs alone," and has tips for exercising together.
1Strummer eats Eukanuba® Natural Lamb & RiceTM.
The City of Cambridge website has an announcement from the Animal Commission about two separate incidents in which dogs were attacked by rabid wild animals--in one case, by a rabid raccoon and, in the other, by a rabid skunk. One attack occurred at the Fresh Pond Recreation Area, a popular off-leash destination, and the other in the Lake View Avenue area nearby.
Oct 25, 2004
Animal Commission Advises Caution Regarding Area Wildlife Following Two Attacks on Dogs
The Cambridge Animal Commission report [sic] two separate incidents in the past few weeks in which a rabid raccoon and a rabid skunk attacked two dogs, one occurring at Fresh Pond and the other in the Lakeview Avenue area.
The Commission urges residents to exercise caution and offers the following tips to minimize the risk of encounters with area wildlife, including raccoons, skunks and opossums.
- Make sure your pets are current on their rabies vaccination. All dogs and cats over the age of 6 months are required to be vaccinated against rabies. The recommendation for an unvaccinated animal that encounters a confirmed rabid animal would be humane euthanasia.
- Keep garbage cans securely closed and clean up trash spills quickly. To further discourage animals from entering your trash can, add a rag soaked with ammonia to the garbage with each new load of trash; tie old stockings filled with mothballs or flakes to the handles of the garbage can; or sprinkle the contents of the can with cayenne pepper.
- Secure your home or apartment by capping chimneys, checking vents, gables and eaves and pruning tree branches that overhang your roof.
- Never feed your pet outdoors. Never feed wildlife.
- Do not allow pets to wander loose. There is a citywide leash law for dogs, and the Animal Control office also recommends that all cats be kept indoors.
- Teach your children not to approach stray or wild animals, including baby animals.
- If you see a normally nocturnal animal, such as a raccoon, out during the day and behaving abnormally by moving slowly or exhibiting obvious signs of illness, call the Animal Control office at 617-349-4376.
If you suspect rabies in Somerville, please call the Animal Control Department, Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., at 617-625-6600, ext.2190. After hours please dial 9-1-1.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that dogs, cats, and ferrets be vaccinated against rabies. Dogs and cats must be vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian against rabies by the age of six months or, if the owner acquires the animal when it is over six months of age, within 30 days of acquisition, unless proof of previous vaccination is available. Furthermore, all dogs and cats shall receive booster vaccinations at the intervals recommended by the manufacturer of the vaccine. Detailed Rabies Information for residents of the Commonwealth is available from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
via craigslist
Fortunately, I don't have my own cautionary tale about the risk to dogs riding unrestrained in cars, but my friend, Dave Trowbridge, does. Dave's story has a happy ending: his German Shepherd Dog, Oka, was properly restrained in a VariKennel and survived the accident unscathed.
But Dave's admonition is one that responsible dog owners should take seriously:
If you have a serious accident with your dog unrestrained in your car, your dog will die. If you have any sort of accident with your dog tethered in the back of your pickup truck, your dog will die. (And if you carry a dog in your pickup truck without restraint, you should be publicly flogged.)
Worse, it's all too likely your dog will suffer horribly for quite some time before it dies: you may not leave the scene of an accident, even if you can, and there are no provisions for severely-wounded animals, save the doubtful mercy of a peace-officer's gun. Very few people know how to quickly and painlessly kill an animal with a firearm (draw a line from each ear to the opposite eye, and fire into the point of intersection), and it generally can't be done with a frightened, thrashing dog, anyway. How will you feel, when it's all over, knowing that a $100 crate could have prevented a horrible, prolonged death for your beloved pet?
In my compact four-door sedan, however there just isn't enough room for a crate that can accommodate a standard poodle. I asked a member of the Poodle Club of Massachusetts how to travel safely by car with my dog, and she said: the best vehicle restraint harness for dogs is Ruff Rider. With a tensile strength of 9300 lbs., it surpasses SAE standards for human seat belts, and its design is orthopedically sound, ergonomically correct, and warranteed for the life of your animal.
Restraining a dog in a vehicle insures the safety not only of the dog but of the human occupants of the vehicle as well. The owner of Ruff Rider, Carl Goldberg, says "If you brake hard at 30 mph, a 60-pound dog will fly forward with a force of 1,200 pounds per square inch." That's a dangerous projectile--at only 30 mph: even on short, local drives, say to Sheepfold in the Middlesex Fells or to Canine University in Malden, I exceed 30 mph.
In my car (as in all things), I try to do right by my dog. Strummer travels in the Roadie LX, and she loves to go for rides!
