United Airlines, in response to customer feedback that included an online petition, has changed its pet-restriction policy. It no longer bans nine breeds of dogs from being transported on United flights.
Chicago-based United, which merged with Continental Airlines, adopted Continental’s PetSafe program on March 3. It has a number of perks for flying dogs and cats.
But the program also used what critics called “canine profiling,” restricting dogs from flying on United flights based solely on their breed — a restriction the former United Airlines didn’t have. The nine restricted breeds were: Pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier, ca de bou, cane corso, dogo Argentino, fila Brasileiro, perro de presa canario, presa canario and tosa (or tosa ken).
The policy prompted an online petition at Change.org that received nearly 46,000 signatures.
In response, United changed its policy, effective April 24. It no longer bans the nine breeds but requires them to be transported in reinforced crates.
“As a result feedback, United will now accept previously restricted breeds of dogs,” United said in a statement. However, the dogs must be in a non-plastic, reinforced crate that meets certain container requirements. Details are online at: tinyurl.com/united-pets
Hawaii resident Jessie Huart started the petition after her 10-year-old pit bull was denied travel due to his breed.
“I am thrilled that United listened to their customers,” Huart said in a news release. “This change is a victory for responsible dog owners everywhere at a time when many are facing breed discrimination.”
gkarp@tribune.com
Pet-Safe Spring Gardening Tips
With a little planning, creating a beautiful garden that is also pet-safe is doable, writes emergency veterinarian Denise Petryk, who provides a list of toxic plants and dangerous fertilizers and chemicals. Younger animals will eat anything and are at higher risk for toxicity, but even exposure to small amounts of some toxic garden components can be harmful to pets, Dr. Petryk warns. The Seattle Times/Tails of Seattle blog (5/10)
AVOID the 10 most dangerous, most toxic plants:
— Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), pictured right — vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, cardiac failure, death.
— Japanese Yew (Taxus cuspidata) — tremors, difficulty breathing, vomiting, seizures, death.
— Jerusalem cherry (Solanum pseudocapsicum) — vomiting, seizures, depression, trouble breathing.
— Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) — vomiting, heart trouble, disorientation, coma, seizures.
— Lily (Lilium species) — kidney failure in cats — ALL parts of the plant, even in small amounts.
— Morning Glory (Ipomea sp.) — vomiting, diarrhea, agitation, tremors, disorientation, ataxia, anorexia.
— Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) — drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, depression, slow heart, weakness.
— Oleander (Nerium oleander) — diarrhea, trouble breathing, tremors, collapse, incoordination.
— Precatory Beans (Arbus precatorius) — severe vomiting and diarrhea, tremors, fever, shock, death.
The 10 most common plants that can cause drooling, vomiting, diarrhea — AND if ingested in larger amounts — more serious health problems:
—
— Hydrangea, above
— Azalea
— Boxwood
— Daffodil (bulbs are more toxic than leaves and flowers)
— Tulip (bulbs are more toxic than leaves and flowers)
— Rhododendron
— Iris (Gladiola)
— Elephant’s ear
— Clematis
— English ivy
The 10 most surprising problem plants:
— Apple (the seeds contain cyanide)
— Plum, cherry, apricots and peaches (the pits contain cyanide)
–Onions, chives and garlic (cause anemia)
— Potato and rhubarb plant leaves (vomiting)
There are some wonderfully safe annuals and perennials:
—
–Astilbe (Astilbe sp.)
–Bee Balm (Monarda sp.)
–Begonia (Begonia sp.), pictured right
–Bugbane (Cimifuga racemosa)
–Butterfly flower (Schianthus sp.)
–Calendula (Callendula sp.) 
–Catmint/catnip (Nepeta sp.)
–Coleus (Coleus sp.), pictured right
–Columbine (Aquilegia sp.)
–Coneflowers (Echinacea purpura)
–Coral Bells (Heuchera sp.)
–Cosmos (Cosmos sp.)
–Goat’s Beard (Aruncus dioicus)
–Impatiens (Impatiens sp.)
–Nasturtium (Tropaeolum sp.)
–New Guinea Impatiens
–Petunia (Petunia sp.)
–Phlox (Phlox sp.)
–Primrose (Primula sp.), pictured right
–Queen of the Meadow (Filipendula ulmaria)
–Roses (Rose sp.)
–Snapdragons (Antirrhinum sp.)
–Spider flower (Cleome sp.)
–Turf Lilly (Liriope sp.)
–Violet (Viola sp.)
–Yellow Corydalis (Corydalis lutea)
–Zinnia (Zinnia sp.)
The non-plant concerns in the spring include fertilizers, pesticides, slug bait, mulch, and garden tools. Talk to your local nursery about the safest options, read labels carefully and store everything safely in sealed containers or out of reach.
Try natural products like vinegar for weeds, coffee grounds, beer and salt for slugs, and soap and water as a natural pesticide.
Avoid cocoa mulch as it comes from chocolate manufacturing and can contain substances that will cause minor chocolate poisoning (vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity) as well as general irritation to the mouth, stomach and intestines.
Many of our mature dogs (and almost all of our cats) are discriminate — they might sniff but they are not inclined to eat plants.
Grass is often the exception and in small amounts, common grasses are safe. Ornamental grasses can be very irritating to the mouth, throat, and nose so if you have a big grass eater, it is safest to avoid these plants.
Remember that puppies and kittens are always an exception. They will generally eat ANYTHING! It still makes most sense however to always pick the safest plants possible for our spring flower gardens and our deck pots.
Horticulturists employed at our favorite plant nurseries are excellent resources for pet safe plants and gardening products. The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has a fantastic guide to pet-safe gardening and a wonderful collection of plant pictures and toxicity information here . PetPlace.com also has an array of informative articles written by veterinarians about toxic plants and gardening.
The three most common spring garden problems we see in our busy Tacoma pet emergency room include dogs ingesting SLUG bait poison (metaldehyde), dogs ingesting decomposing things out of the compost pile, and Lily ingestion or sniffing by cats.
A few bites of slug bait can cause horrible tremors. Quick emergency treatment is critical.
A compost pile snack can also cause tremors or it may cause drunk-like behavior or vomiting and diarrhea. Here too, quick emergency treatment is essential for a quick recovery.
Lilies are highly toxic to cats. It is safest to avoid all lilies — both as cut flowers as part of a bouquet or as a garden plant. Potential sniffing of the flower and inhaling the pollen can even be a problem to our cats.
Enjoy your garden but do your research first. Prevention is so much easier than sick animals and treatment.
Dr. Denise Petryk
Dr. Denise Petryk graduated from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, in 1991. Later this year she will complete her MBA at Pacific Lutheran University. For the last 20 years she has enjoyed the fast pace of emergency medicine and enjoys the satisfaction of explaining things clearly to pet owners. At home, she has a family of six — two hairy dogs, one short-haired monster dog and three perfect cats — and a big yard full of safe plants!
Photos from The Seattle Times archives
Study: Owners Oblivious to Implications of Brachycephalic Syndrome
A recent study by the Royal Veterinary College found that 58% of surveyed owners of dogs with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome do not recognize the medical severity of their pet’s problems, such as snoring while awake and difficulty breathing during normal exercise. Instead, owners considered this to be a normal expression of the dog’s breed and not a medical problem that should be addressed by veterinarians. PhysOrg.com
Owners of certain popular “short-nosed” dog breeds, including Pugs, Bulldogs, Pekingese and French Bulldogs, are unknowingly putting their pets’ welfare at risk and not seeking essential treatment because they consider their pets’ signs of breathing difficulties to be ‘normal’ for that breed – so reveals a new study from the Royal Veterinary College, published on Thursday 10 May 2012 by the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) in their journal Animal Welfare. Other affected breeds in the study included the Boston Terrier, Dogue de Bordeaux, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and short-nosed crossbreeds.
Cardiac Disease is Prevalent in Pets
Heart disease is common in dogs and cats and can be an important cause of illness.
Unlike many other health problems, heart disease often profoundly limits a pet’s survival. An important statistic for pet owners to consider is about 10 per cent of dogs that present to veterinarians for care suffer from heart disease. In cats, it has been reported 15 per cent of apparently healthy cats have an underlying heart condition.
What these two statistics clearly tell me is heart disease is prevalent and therefore annual checkups play a vital role in the early identification of heart disease and helping keep your pet healthy.
Heart disease in dogs and cats falls into two categories: congenital and acquired.
Congenital problems manifest at birth and can be due to genetically inherited disorders or arise from problems during pregnancy. Acquired disorders are more common, and usually develop in adulthood or old age.
Recent research in veterinary medicine has identified some inherited disorders that occur later in life in purebred dogs such as the boxer and Doberman pinscher, and in purebred cats such as the Maine coon and ragdoll. In the past several years, genetic tests have been developed to identify these heart disorders and more will be available in the future.
An annual checkup is one of the best opportunities to identify heart disease in dogs and cats.
The annual physical examination includes an assessment of the heart with a stethoscope and evaluation of the peripheral arterial pulse. This examination allows your veterinarian to identify heart murmurs and arrhythmias, and assess if the heart is too weak.
Heart murmurs occur when there are leaks in one of the four heart valves or one of the valves does not open completely. An abnormal communication in the heart can also create a murmur. Arrhythmias are abnormalities of heart rhythm, causing the heart to beat irregularly, or too slow or too fast.
Many forms of heart disease result in a weakened heart, which in turn can lead to heart failure, where the heart cannot pump a sufficient amount of blood through the body. While continuing to work harder to pump blood, further heart damage can occur.
Early detection of these abnormalities through regular checkups helps your veterinarian identify the cause of the heart abnormality and its severity, which goes a long way toward early treatment and offers the best chance for a cure or long survival.
Depending on the nature of your pet’s heart condition, your veterinarian has an array of additional tests to help identify and assess the severity of the heart disease. Chest X-rays are used to evaluate heart size and reveal congestion in the lungs, which is an indicator of a weakened heart.
An electrocardiogram and 24-hour holter exam can assess the heart rhythm. A cardiac ultrasound exam measures the strength of the heart and identifies structural defects. Recent work shows that early treatment with medication can have a significant effect on both survival and quality of life.
As well, many congenital disorders can be treated and cured, but early detection and intervention are key to a good outcome.
The annual checkup is also the best means to help dog and cat breeders identify the healthiest purebred dogs for breeding purposes. This is an important way to limit the number of puppies with congenital and inherited disorders.
In conclusion, annual checkups are an essential way to keep your pet free of clinical signs of both heart disease and other disorders.
Dr. Michael O’Grady is a board certified cardiologist and was on the faculty of the University of Guelph, Ontario Veterinary College. His current research projects at the University of Guelph include diagnosis and management of cardiomyopathy and chronic degenerative mitral valve disease. O’Grady currently practices cardiology at Toronto Veterinary Emergency Hospital, a 24-hour emergency and referral hospital in Scarborough.
MRI on awake dogs measures canine response to humans
Researchers at the Emory University Center for Neuropolicy trained two dogs to stand completely still while inside an MRI scanner and then imaged the dogs’ brains while they responded to human hand signals about treats. The researchers found activity in the caudate area of the brain when the dogs were given a signal indicating they would receive a treat. Additional study could provide insights into the human-canine bond and even human evolution.
Be Aware of Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats – What to Watch For
According to Banfield’s 2012 State of Pet Health Report, one of every 12 older cats has chronic kidney disease, which progresses quickly in those cats but is manageable in some with fluid therapy and dietary changes for a few years. Acute kidney disease can occur in any cat after toxin exposure and is usually treatable if detected early enough, says veterinarian Nina Nardi.
(Reed Saxon/ Associated Press ) – In this Thursday, April 12, 2012 photo, Girly, an 18-year-old cat who has been diagnosed with kidney disease, is about to get a subcutaneous injection of lactated ringers solution, or LRS, from veterinarian Dr. Nina Nardi as her owner Nate Glass watches, at Banfield’s veterinary hospital in the Canoga Park district of Los Angeles. Kidney disease is one of the leading causes of death for cats, but there is no cure and no known cause.
- By Associated Press, Published: May 8AP
Banfield, the largest veterinary practice in the world with 800 hospitals in 43 states, based its report on medical data from more than 2 million dogs and nearly 430,000 cats seen by its veterinarians.
Nate Glass can only try to ease the pain of his cat Girly, who he rescued as a kitten after she’d been shot with a BB gun in an alley behind a dollar store.
Nardi, Girly’s vet for the past five years, tested her for kidney disease because she lost three pounds between exams.
“It shocked me,” Glass said. “I didn’t think she was three pounds lighter. She still looked as fluffy as she ever did.”
Cats are notorious for hiding their health problems. Possible signs of chronic kidney disease include increased thirst, increased urination, decreased appetite, weight loss, vomiting and bad breath.
The first thing vets do for a cat with chronic kidney disease is hydrate it, Nardi said. “Fluids reduce the filtration load on the kidneys,” she explained.
Sick or not, Nardi recommends recyclable water fountains so cats always have access to fresh water. But water won’t restore kidney function, just help what’s left work better, she said.
She put Girly on an IV for three days, prescribed a special diet that cut down on protein and salt and made sure she had medicines for nausea and vomiting.
Girly now goes in twice a week for subcutaneous fluid treatments, where the liquid is injected beneath the shoulder blades.
Kidney transplants can ease pain and help a cat live longer, but they are rare and cost between $8,000 and $18,000, said Dr. Chad Schmiedt, the surgeon in charge of the transplant program for the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Watch your cat, Nardi advised. Too often, a dog will throw up once and its owner rushes to the vet, but a cat might throw up every day and no one will take it in, she said.
And she thinks love and attention can be almost as important as water. One of the worst cases she ever saw was a cat in the late stages of the disease.
“You wouldn’t have given her more than six months,” she said. But the cat had a special owner, she said, and lived for 2½ years.
United Lifts Ban on 9 Dog Breeds
Pit bull terrier, American Staffordshire terrier and others must use reinforced carriers
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By Gregory Karp Tribune staff reporter
2:53 p.m. CDT, May 8, 2012
from the Chicago Tribune
Solid Gold Dog Food Recall
Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc. Recalls Dog Food Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk
Contact: Consumer: (800) 364-4863
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 8, 2012 – Solid Gold Health Products for Pets, Inc., El Cajon, California, announced a voluntary recall of one batch of WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food and one batch of Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog, both with a Best Before date of December 30, 2012, and an “X” in the 11th digit of the date code.
Solid Gold is voluntarily recalling the products below, distributed in the United States and Canada. This voluntary recall is being done out of an abundance of caution as these products were produced at the facility that has been linked to recent recalls of Diamond brand pet foods due to potential Salmonella contamination.
Pets with Salmonella infections may have decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, pets may be lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Infected but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed the recalled product and has these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.
Individuals handling dry pet food can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with surfaces exposed to this product. People who believe they may have been exposed to Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. According to the Centers for Disease Control, people who are more likely to be affected by Salmonella include infants, children younger than 5 years old, organ transplant patients, people with HIV/AIDS and people receiving treatment for cancer.
The products involved in this voluntary recall are:
Solid Gold WolfCub Large Breed Puppy Food, 4 lb, 15 lb, and 33 lb, with a best before date of December 30, 2012 and batch code starting with SGB1201A31X.
4 lb identifying UPC 093766750005
15 lb identifying UPC 093766750012
33 lb identifying UPC 093766750029
Solid Gold WolfKing Large Breed Adult Dog Food, 4 lb, 15 lb, and 28.5 lb, with a best before date of December 30, 2012 and batch code starting with SGL1201A32X
4 lb identifying UPC 093766750050
15 lb identifying UPC 093766750067
28.5 lb identifying UPC 093766750081
Best by dates (lot codes) can be found on the back of the bag in the bottom right-hand corner of 33 lb, 28.5 lb and 15 lb bags and the bottom of the 4 lb bags.
Other Solid Gold recipes, sizes or brands of food are not impacted by this voluntary recall.
Pet owners who are unsure if the product they purchased is included in the recall, would like replacement product or have additional questions, may call us at (800) 364-4863 (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM through 5:00 PM Pacific time).
How To Keep Dog’s Ears Healthy
DR. DARA JOHNS / Daily News columnist (Florida’s Emerald Coast)
I am often asked by pet owners if they need to be cleaning their dog’s ears. If a dog has normal healthy ears, no cleaning is necessary. But if there are signs of ear infection, yes, the ears would benefit from a good cleaning with the appropriate materials.
Signs of ear infections include shaking the head frequently and scratching at the ears with the back leg. One might also notice a strange smell coming from the ears. The ear canal can be very red and inflamed. Excessive wax sometimes accumulates in the ear. This wax could be purulent from infection or thick and black.
When cleaning the ears, one source of cleaner is your veterinarian’s office. These cleaners are usually gentle and do not cause undue discomfort. I say undue, because some discomfort is unavoidable. Even healthy ears do not like having fluid put in the ear canal. The discomfort is minimized by buffering the solution’s pH.
Ear cleansers generally have a salicylic or acetic acid base to help break down the wax and aid in killing yeast. I like the ones that have a good smell, because it helps to destroy the odor emanating from the ear canal. Ear cleaners do not have antibiotics in them. They are made to be used frequently and as needed. If antibiotics were used in this fashion it would compound our problems with antibiotic resistance.
One mistake I have seen is the use of antibiotic ointment as if it were a cleaner. Owners put antibiotic drops in the ears once a week or when they see a flare-up. These medicines were not made to be used this way. Ear washes are to be used on a daily or weekly basis to prevent infections. Antibiotics are for treating a severe infection. Occasionally a chronic severe case will warrant ongoing antibiotic therapy, but these are few and far between.
What can be used at home for washing out the ears? A good natural wash consists of one part white distilled vinegar to one part rubbing alcohol. Combine these two ingredients and soak a cotton ball in the mixture. Wipe out the ear, rubbing the cotton ball so that the alcohol-vinegar mix trickles down into the ear canal.
The vinegar will kill yeast, and the alcohol will kill bacteria as well as dry out the ear. The biggest problem with this cleaner is that the alcohol burns irritated skin. A gentler version would be one part white distilled vinegar to one part water. It helps treat yeast infections, and it is gentler.
If you find that the ear canal continues to build up with wax even though you are cleaning out the ear or you see the signs of infection worsening, it is time to make an appointment with your veterinarian. He can look at cytology and discover the source of the infection so that a medical treatment can be prescribed.
Read more: https://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/clean-49357-pet-ears.html#ixzz1uE0Sdbon
Risk of Reappearance of West Nile Virus in California Poses Threat to Horses
Horse owners urged to pursue vaccinations
SACRAMENTO, April, 19, 2012 – The risk of a return of West Nile virus to California this year is renewing calls for horse owners to make sure their animals are vaccinated. In 2011, 15 horses in California were confirmed positive for West Nile Virus. Four of the 15 were euthanized. All of the euthanized horses were not vaccinated“Outbreaks of West Nile virus are still a risk for horses,” said California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Whiteford. “Horse owners should contact their veterinarians as soon as possible to ensure vaccination status is current. If people get the necessary shots for their horses now, the animals will have optimal protection against the disease.”
Signs of West Nile virus include stumbling, staggering, wobbling, weakness, muscle twitching and inability to stand. Horses contract the disease from carrier mosquitoes and are not contagious to other horses or people. Not every horse exposed to the virus will die, however, over the past eight years, affected horses have experienced a mortality rate of nearly 40 percent.
CDFA is cooperating with the California Department of Public Health to detect and respond to the disease in California. Horses provide an additional sentinel for disease detection in the environment. For more information, click on https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal_Health/WNV_Info.html
No Excuse for Skipping Rabies Vaccination
The Carlsbad, New Mexico area just suffered through one of the worst rabies outbreaks in the state’s recent history. Over a three month period from the end of 2011 to the beginning of 2012, 32 dogs, 1 cat and 10 sheep had to be euthanized because they had been exposed to a rapid fox. During that December, January, and February tests also showed that 22 skunks in the area were infected with rabies.
What makes this outbreak especially painful is that almost all of the euthanasias could have been prevented if only the pets and livestock had been up-to-date on their rabies vaccines. In addition, twelve people in the Carlsbad area had to go through post-exposure prophylaxis even though no one was directly exposed to rabid wildlife. In one example, an unvaccinated dog came down with rabies and the entire family — all eight people — needed to get expensive, post-exposure prophylaxis according to Dr. Paul Ettestad, New Mexico’s state public health veterinarian.
I just don’t get it. Why do so many people fail to protect their pets and themselves from such a deadly disease when safe and effective rabies vaccines are so readily available? I understand when people can’t spend large amounts of money on a pet when the budget is tight, but that’s no excuse when it comes to rabies vaccines. They are dirt cheap. In fact, with a little research owners can oftentimes get them for free. In Colorado, 73 veterinary clinics just took part in a campaign providing complimentary wellness exams and rabies vaccinations to over 1,047 pets. Similar events can be found all across the country.
The only dogs or cats that I don’t recommend receive rabies vaccinations on the schedule dictated by local regulations are those that have had a documented anaphylactic reaction (i.e., a life-threatening allergic reaction) to a previous rabies vaccination and those that are so sick that the risk of vaccination outweighs the benefits. In these cases, veterinarians usually need to fill out a form or write a letter to the appropriate regulatory agency explaining why they have declined to vaccinate.
I don’t consider healthy old age or indoor only status a good reason to skip rabies vaccination even though I often recommend against vaccinating for other diseases under these circumstances. Why? Because if one of these pets is ever exposed to an animal that is known or suspected to have rabies or it ever bites someone, it’s lack of current vaccination is going to spell big trouble.
Many owners have heard of the ten day quarantine that is typically mandatory after a pet has bitten someone, but the situation is even more serious when a pet is exposed to a potentially rabid animal. Dogs and cats that are current on their rabies vaccines generally receive a booster vaccine and are quarantined for 45 days or so (this can often be done at home). However, if your pet does not have a current rabies vaccine, euthanasia is the most likely outcome. If you do not permit this, a strict quarantine of six months or longer will imposed, most likely at your expense.
Are your pets current on their rabies vaccinations? If not, what’s your excuse?