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Unless otherwise stated, these
editorials do not reflect the opinion of A Pet For Life, Inc. Factual
information will be gathered through research and Pat's experiences. Any
comments, suggestions, or questions will be welcome. If there is anything
you'd like to learn more about, feel free to email myself or Pat at
apetforlife@comcast.net.
Ever heard of black dog syndrome? Many people, especially those familiar with shelters and rescues, know all about it. For some reason, all black dogs, even those pure breeds such as black Labrador Retrievers, are quite often passed over in favor or other colored dogs. It seems as though any other color dog does better -- even if they are the same breed. A golden, yellow, white, or chocolate Labrador will almost always be chosen over black Labs. Although we claim to not believe in superstitions, our subconscious proves we do. Many times, we pass over anything black because of the negative bias toward the color black. Where dogs are concerned, there are many myths, legends, and stories about black dogs being somehow bad. Probably the most famous black dog was the Hound of the Baskervilles, which went after the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Many scholars and psychologists think the reason why the Hound of the Baskervilles is so famous is because a large black dog fits our subconscious idea of what an evil creature looks like, even when the black dog has a cute face and floppy ears. Countless people don't realize that in some pre-Christian pagan religions, black dogs were seen as sacred animals. A good dog is never a bad color, so if you are considering adopting a dog, be sure to take a second look at all of the different colors and personalities. Too many of these lovable dogs are missing out on good homes and happy lives due to superstitions or to visions of black hair on light-colored sofas, rugs, and clothes. Please give ever dog a second look, even the dark-haired beauties, because all dogs deserve a chance. Look past the outside cover and you may just find a very special four-legged addition to your family. Source: DogAge -
Tip of the Week, 08/07/2008
Canine and Feline Heartworms (This article is to inform you about Heartworms. Before starting any treatment, discuss all Heartworm Preventative Treatments with your veterinarian. He/She can recommend the best product for your pet.) Treatment Canine heartworm disease can be successfully treated in most cases. The goal of treatment is to kill all adult worms with an Adulticide and all Microfilariae (offspring) with a Microfiliaricide. It is important to accomplish this goal with a minimum of harmful effects and a tolerable degree of complications created by the dying heartworms. Mild cases of heartworm disease have a high success rate with treatment. Severe cases can be successfully treated, but the possibility of complications and mortality is higher. There is currently one drug approved by the FDA for use in dogs for the elimination of adult heartworms. That drug is Melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide, Merial) and is injected into the lumbar muscles. The most effective drugs to eliminate microfilariae are the macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintics, i.e., milbemycin oxime, selamectin, moxidectin, and ivermectin. These drugs are the active ingredients in commonly used heartworm preventatives. The simple administering of ML preventatives is most widely used today to slowly clear the microfilariae over a period of about six to nine months. Currently, there are no products in the United States approved for the treatment of feline heartworm infection. Treatment with small, gradually decreasing doses of prednisone (a cortisone-like drug) is recommended for cats with radiographic or clinical evidence of lung disease. Cats with severe manifestations may require additional supportive therapy, and may benefit from intravenous fluids, oxygen therapy, cage confinement, bronchodilators (which expand the air passages of the lungs), cardiovascular drugs, antibiotics, and nursing care. Extraction surgery can be done in cats in which the worms can be visualized with ultrasound at the tricuspid valve or in the right atrium of the heart, or in those rare instances of obstruction of blood flow affecting the heart and liver (caval syndrome). Prevention While treatment of canine heartworm disease is usually successful, prevention of the disease is much safer and more economical. There are a variety of options for preventing heartworm infection, including monthly tablets, chewables, and topicals. These products are extremely effective and when administered properly on a timely schedule, heartworm infection can be prevented. The American Heartworm Society is now recommending year-round prevention, even in seasonal areas. One reason for this is compliance -- to make sure the pet owner has given the medicine properly. In addition, most monthly heartworm preventatives have activity against intestinal parasites. Many of these same intestinal parasites that infect dogs can also infect people, with estimated infections occurring in three to six million people every year. So this added benefit of monthly deworming makes great sense. Canine Heartworm Preventative Comparison * Heartgard and Heartgard Plus are
manufactured by Merial Sources:
(This article is to inform you about Heartworms. Before starting any treatment, discuss all Heartworm Preventative Treatments with your veterinarian. He/She can recommend the best product for your pet.) Clinical Signs For both dogs and cats, clinical signs of heartworm disease may not be recognized in the early stages, as the number of heartworms of an animal tends to accumulate gradually over a period of months, sometimes years, and after repeated mosquito bites. Recently infected dogs may exhibit no
signs of the disease, while heavily infected dogs may eventually show clinical
signs. The clinical signs of heartworm
infection in cats can be very nonspecific and may mimic many other feline
diseases. Diagnosis by clinical signs alone is nearly impossible, but a cat may
exhibit generic signs of illness, such as vomiting intermittently (food or foam,
usually unrelated to eating), lethargy, lack of appetite (anorexia), weight
loss, coughing, asthma-like signs (intermittent difficulty in breathing,
panting, open-mouthed breathing), gagging, difficulty breathing (dyspnea) or
rapid breathing (tachypnea). Diagnosis The diagnosis of canine heartworm
disease depends upon the following: Heartworm infection in cats is harder to
diagnose than it is in dogs and it is easy to overlook. Diagnostic tests have
limitations, so negative test results do not necessarily rule out an infection.
The diagnostic plan can include, but is not limited to: For further information about Heartworms, visit the American Heartworm Society website at www.heartwormsociety.org. Sources: Next Edition: Canine and Feline Heartworms, Part 3: Treatment & Prevention
Canine and Feline
Heartworms (This article is to inform you about Heartworms. Before starting any treatment, discuss all Heartworm Preventative Treatments with your veterinarian. He/She can recommend the best product for your pet.)
What It Is Canine and feline heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms (classified as nematodes, aka roundworms) living in the lungs, heart, and associated blood vessels of dogs, cats, and other species of mammals.
The disease is transmitted after a mosquito carrying infective heartworm larvae bites a dog or cat. Over several months, the larvae grow inside the animal's body, maturing into male and female worms. Once mature, the worms mate and the female worm releases their offspring into the dog or cat's bloodstream. Offspring can be detected in a dog's blood about six to seven months after being infected, and detected in a cat's blood about seven to eight months after being infected. The male heartworms (four to six inches in length) and the females (ten to twelve inches in length) become fully grown about one year after infection and their life span in dogs appears to average up to five to seven years and in cats approximately two to three years.
The onset and severity of heartworm disease in a dog is mainly a reflection of the number of adult heartworms present, the age of the infection and the level of activity of the dog. Higher numbers of worms generally cause more severe heart and lung disease and result in their presence in the right chambers of the heart. In such infections, the most common early pathological changes are due to inflammatory processes that occur in and around the arteries of the lower portion of the lungs in response to the presence of the heartworms. Later, the heart may enlarge and become weakened due to an increased workload and congestive heart failure may occur. A very active dog (e.G., working dog) is more likely to develop severe disease with a relatively small number of heartworms than an inactive one (e.G., a lap dog or couch potato). Occasionally, a dog with a large number of heartworms may not only have worms in the heart, but also in the large primary vein of the lower body between the liver and the heart. Without surgical removal, a dog can suddenly collapse and die within two to three days after the worms infect this vein.
Cats are resistant hosts of heartworms with some appearing to rid themselves of the infection spontaneously. In infections of heartworm larvae in cats, the percentage of worms developing into the adult stage is low (0% to 25%) compared to dogs (40% to 90%). However, heartworms do not need to develop into adults to cause significant pulmonary damage in cats, and consequences can still be serious when cats are infected. Newly arriving worms and the subsequent death of most of these same worms can result in acute pulmonary inflammation responses and lung injury. Often misdiagnosed as asthma and allergic bronchitis, this initial phase is actually part of a syndrome now known as Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (HARD).
Where It's Found Canine heartworm infection is widely distributed throughout the United States. Infections have been found in dogs as young as one year of age, with most being diagnosed between the ages of three and eight years.
Feline heartworm infections in the United States seem to parallel that of
dogs, but with lower total numbers. There is no predictable age in cats
becoming infected. Cases have been reported in cats from nine months to
seventeen years of age, with the average being four years of age at time of
diagnosis, or at the time of death.
For further information about Heartworms, visit the American Heartworm Society website at www.heartwormsociety.org.
Sources: American Heartworm Society Articles "What Is Heartworm Disease?" "Canine Heartworm Disease" "Feline Heartworm Disease" Published Here 07/24/2008
Next Edition: Canine and Feline Heartworms, Part 2: Clinical Signs & Diagnosis
Cats normally have five toes on their front paws and four on their back paws. Cats that have more toes than the norm are polydactyl. * A cat in Ontario, Canada, named Jake holds the Guinness World Record for the most toes. This ginger tabby has 28 digits (seven toes on each paw). * A cat from North Carolina named Five Toes has five toes on his front and back paws and, perhaps more surprisingly, he has two tongues. Cats commonly give birth to four to six kittens at a time. However, a litter can consist of fewer offspring, (a single kitten is rare) or more, with eight kittens at the high end of the range. Female cats can produce three litters of kittens per year and at four to six kittens per litter, the average cat and her offspring, could produce more than 400,000 cats over seven years. This fact shows just how important it is to have your cats spayed / neutered to prevent having so many unwanted kittens.
Source: Healthy Pet -
Spring 2008 Edition - pg.3
Altering Compulsive Behavior Grooming, chewing, and barking are all natural canine
behaviors, but sometimes a dog can become compulsive and a seemingly normal
behavior becomes abnormal. The actions are considered compulsive when they
become excessively repetitive or routinely displayed out of context. In the
beginning, the behavior may seem odd or be a minor annoyance, but if it
continues, there may be an underlying cause such as physical health, or the
dog's environment. The first step is a physical examination by a veterinarian. There are physical ailments, such as parasites, allergies, or neurological disorders, which can cause compulsive behaviors. A veterinarian can make recommendations to treat the problem, whether it's a physical or an emotional problem. The treatment may include medical treatment in conjunction with training or behavior modification to help change the unwanted behavior. Environmental triggers include anxiety, boredom, conflict, frustration, or stress. Examples are: * Changes in routine, such as a previously unemployed owner returning to the workplace, leaving the dog home alone more, can lead to separation anxiety. * Lack of physical activity and / or mental stimulation through exercise, play, or training, can lead to boredom. * Conflict can be caused by inconsistency in training, or by confusion with positive and negative reinforcement for the same action. * Excessive stimuli with no outlet or with long-term confinement can lead to the venting of frustration through compulsive behavior. * Stress can be caused from fear or from being uncomfortable, such as being in noisy locations or large crowds. Once the cause of the compulsive behavior has been determined, the proper steps can be taken to reduce or stop the behaviors. Reducing sources of stress and excess stimulation may mean more owner control of the dog's environment. Make light of your arrival and departure to help decrease separation anxiety. Save special toys that provide mental stimulation, such as those that the dog can maneuver to release treats, for times when your dog must be left alone. Reduce the time your dog is left alone and increase exercise and training time. Physical stimulation is absolutely necessary for your dog's physical and mental health. Exercise and play can help release energy, reduce stress, and can help in the prevention of unwanted behaviors. (Options for those people who have limited time to spend with their dog, are doggie daycare or pet sitters. This will ensure your dog receives the activity and interaction he needs.) Use calm praise or treats to maintain a low-stress training environment while making sure everyone in your household is consistent with the commands and rules. Whatever the cause may be of the compulsive behavior, identifying that cause and preventing the source is the most effective solution. Being patient and consistent can reduce or eliminate compulsive behaviors. Source: Purina - Today's Breeder - Issue 62 - pages
32-33
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