You may or may not have seen the notice in this week’s obituary page. Ed Vargas, local 4-H leader in San Martin passed away after a brief illness. Ed was a gift to all who knew him. Full of ideas, he was a cornerstone of the County Fair and what it meant to so many local young people.
We’ve all heard about the dangers of Christmas decorations and presents. Pets can ingest tinsel from the tree or knock a candle off the table starting a fire. Package material can cause serious stomach problems if eaten by the family pet.
Here’s one that you might not have considered. Many people have “Snow Globe” decorations in their home. These small, liquid-filled orbs have an attractive Christmas or winter scene in them. Shake these and make-believe “snow” floats through the liquid, making a pretty picture as the flakes float to the bottom.
Trouble is, some of these contain ethylene glycol, the same substance found in automobile antifreeze. This chemical is extremely toxic to animals and people. And it only takes a teaspoon or less to cause irreversible kidney failure in a cat or small dog. Even a large dog can end up with terminal renal disease with only a tablespoon or more. And if a small child were to swallow even a small amount of the liquid, he or she could be in serious trouble.
So, what to do? Keep these completely out of reach of your pets as well as your small children. If a youngster were to drop one of these, breaking it, and if that child or a pet got some of the liquid in his or her mouth, the results could be devastating.
We all know about the many different working dogs and their tasks. Drug-sniffing dogs at airports and border checkpoints stop smugglers in their tracks. Arson sniffing dogs can detect the point of origin of a deliberately set fire. There are even dogs that can detect certain types of cancer, simply by their keen sense of smell.
There are also working dogs for persons with disabilities. Guide Dogs for the Blind, companion dogs for the hearing impaired, and canines that help people that are wheelchair-bound. These pooches make life so much easier for their human companions.
You may have seen the news yesterday. A family cat tested positive for the H1N1 swine flu in Iowa. Apparently, 2 family members had been infected and the cat later developed symptoms of a upper respiratory infection before being tested. Experts are puzzled by this development, because virus infections are usually limited to a single species host. Does this kitty’s infection mean that the virus has mutated? We don’t know, but you can bet there will be a lot to say about this in the near future.
The San Jose city auditor has recommended enforcement of a 2007 ordinance requiring veterinarians to report rabies vaccinations to the city. A recent recommendation states that the city could benefit financially it works harder to enforce pet licensing laws. The recommendations include requiring vet hospitals to report all animals that are vaccinated for the rabies virus. Some other cities have similar licensing laws. San Jose would probably hire an enforcement officer to ensure compliance by pet owners and veterinarians.
By Pete Keesling
I received more than a few letters asking about a new vaccine available for canine influenza. Some folks are understandably concerned about this infectious disease. But at this point, veterinarians see no reason for any panic. And it’s important to remember that vaccines are only a small part of disease prevention. Common sense is also important. For example, if you go to public places (like the local dog park) with your pooch, be aware of any other animals that are there. If someone’s dog looks a little piqued, keep your dog away. Always avoid contact with any sick animals, even if it means going home without your usual romp.
Q:
I heard there is a new canine flu virus that attacks dogs and is very contagious. They called it the H3N8 virus. Is this similar to the H1N1 virus? Is dog flu contagious to people or cats?
Q:
My dog is scratching and biting his paws. He has a spot where he has scratched off all his hair. He is a highly allergic dog when allergy season starts up. He is usually on prednisone for that. His vet put him on antibiotic and is stopping the prednisone he usually takes. He wants to start him on a series of three injections of Ivermectin. Does this sound reasonable?
Q:
Darby, our 3-year old Corgi, has been shaking his head a lot lately. Our vet looked in his ears and said they are clean.
They don’t even look red or inflamed. He wants us to see a specialist, because he says it might be a nerve problem. How serious can this be?
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By Pete Keesling
Q:
I am Community Service Officer Gary Muraoka with the Gilroy Police Department. With the warm spell this last week people need to remember not to leave their pets in their vehicles. It may be 85 degrees outside but a locked vehicle can quickly rise to 110+ degrees inside. Could you please remind the public to keep their pets safe and out of their vehicles when they go shopping? The safest place is out of the car on a leash or at home.
The medical record told me that my next patient had been losing fur for a while. It was a bunny rabbit, unknown breed, and the owners had just found it near a golf course. They were a young family with small children. I walked into the exam room thinking, “Man, I hope this isn’t ringworm or some contagious skin mite. If so, the kids might catch it. What a mess that would be!”
The owner told me this little rabbit had lost a lot of fur since she found it romping around the open field. She told me to look in the box where the bunny slept. Sure enough, there was plenty of fur….and 5 other little surprises. Five baby bunnies were asleep under all that hair that their momma had pulled to make their nest.
Life is full of surprises, and some of the littlest ones are the most exciting!
By Pete Keesling
Q:
We recently got a new puppy and at our first visit to the vet, we found out he has roundworms. We have two children, ages 4 and 7. My concern is for my children’s health, they don’t clean up after the dog, I do. But they did get licked on their face and hands. Kids being kids, I am sure they touch every part of their faces afterwards at some point, should I be concerned with transmission?
By Pete Keesling
Artificial sweeteners are in a lot more foods these days as people try to find ways to lose weight. One of these compounds is Xylitol and it’s used in chewing gum and candy as well as cooked foods.
Xylitol is a white crystal substance used as a sugar substitute and is beneficial in reducing sugar intake in people with diabetes and other medical conditions.
But beware if you have a dog. Xylitol is deadly toxic to canines, even in small quantities. It causes a very fast drop in blood sugar within 30 minutes of eating. The pet quickly may become uncoordinated, weak, and even develop seizures before falling into a coma. There is further concern that Xylitol may cause liver failure.
It doesn’t take much to be deadly. As few as 6-8 sticks of artificially sweetened chewing gum can kill a labrador. Only a few candies can end up sending a large dog to the vet’s office. And smaller dogs are even more susceptible.
So keep those goodies away from your pets, especially your pooch. It may be a great way to help you lose weight, but you might also lose your best furry friend if you aren’t careful.
By Pete Keesling
I find it hard to believe that I’m writing this in January, but our recent warm spell has sent many of us out into our gardens. And while there may not be a lot of them, snails and insects are out there, inviting us to get out the arsenal to attack and rid our backyards of these pests.
Veterinarians are already telling me that in the past few weeks, several dogs and even a cat have been brought in to their clinics, deathly ill from ingesting garden chemicals. So whatever you use in your yard, be it snail bait, fly bait, fertilizers or poisons to rid your field of gophers, keep your pet safe and away from all of it. Use chemicals carefully and store them where animals (pets and wildlife) can’t get to them. Avoid a costly and scary disaster.
Roxy, a 3-year-old Jack Russell Terrier went into the vet’s office the other day to get treatment for an ear infection. At least that’s what her owner, Jan, thought was her problem. Fortunately, Roxy’s veterinarian did a thorough exam and found a foxtail in both of her ears. They were both dry and covered in a little wax from the ear canals. Her owner was incredulous. “There aren’t any foxtails in my garden this time of year,” Jan said. So the vet asked a few questions, and found out that Jan and Roxy had been for a visit to a friend’s ranch home in the Sacramento area. Roxy played with another dog, her friend, out in the straw and hay that the horses used. A closer look found that there were foxtails in that hay! Yes, even in December or any other month…..if the conditions are right. And Roxy’s ears are just fine, now that those pesky foxtails are gone. I wonder if her friend went to the vet to get her ears checked……