I got rid of the kids - the cat was allergic.
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| Pet Owners Cautioned After Distemper Breaks Out In Eastside Wildlife |
Please make sure your dogs are vaccinated for distemper as this very contagious viral disease is being found in local raccoons in Bellevue and Redmond. The full article about this alert can be found here. Since this article was published, raccoons have also been diagnosed with distemper in Renton and Issaquah.
Posted 4/18/10
Pig Ear Recall: Salmonella Contamination
FDA Press Release: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is issuing this health alert to warn consumers not to use Pig Ears and Beef Hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel because the products may be contaminated with Salmonella. The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. Pet Carousel is based in Sanger, California.The products were manufactured under conditions that facilitate cross-contamination within batches or lots. Although no illnesses associated with these products have been reported, the FDA is advising consumers in possession of these products to not handle or feed them to their pets.The affected pig ear products were packaged under the brand names Doggie Delight and Pet Carousel.
The affected beef hooves were packaged under the brand names Choo Hooves, Dentley’s, Doggie Delight, and Pet Carousel. All sizes and all lots of these products made by Pet Carousel are included in this alert.
During September 2009, the FDA conducted routine testing of pig ears made by Pet Carousel. The test results detected a positive reading for Salmonella. This prompted an FDA inspection of Pet Carousel’s manufacturing facilities. During the inspection, the agency collected additional pet treat samples. Further analysis found Salmonella present in beef hooves, pig ears and in the manufacturing environment.Salmonella can affect both humans and animals. People handling dry pet food and/or pet treats can become infected with Salmonella, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the treats or any surfaces exposed to these products. Consumers should dispose of these products in a safe manner by securing them in a covered trash receptacle.
Healthy people infected with Salmonella may experience some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Although rare, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments including arterial infections, endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their health care provider immediately.
Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Some pets may only experience a decreased appetite, fever and abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected products or is experiencing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately.
The FDA will continue to investigate this matter to determine the source of the Salmonella contamination and offer updates as appropriate.
Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. You can locate the nearest consumer complaint coordinator here.
By Exceptional Veterinary Team
Posted 12/9/09
| 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus Outbreak |
The swine flu has now been diagnosed in a cat in Iowa and in ferrets in Oregon. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has an excellent, extensive website covering the H1N1 virus in detail. Includes Frequently Asked Questions.
Posted 11/12/09
| Salmon Poisoning In Dogs |
Salmon poisoning, also known as Salmon Poisoning Disease or Neorickettsia helminthoeca, is an acute infectious disease of wild and domestic dogs caused by ingestion of raw fish. The infective agent is transmitted through the various stages of a fluke in a snail-fish-dog life cycle.
The name of the disease is misleading because there is no toxin involved. The disease is caused by the Rickettsial organism Neorickettsai helminthoeca, and is most often associated with eating raw fish containing N. salminocola, the trematode fluke (worm) carrier.Exposure to a fresh brackish stream or beach and eating raw fish in an endemic area are risk factors. The fluke parasite is carried in the kidneys of infected Salmon (can occur in other fish but is uncommon). The fluke is passed to the dog after ingestion of the infected fish. The fluke grows and matures in the dogs gastrointestinal tract at which time the fluke releases the rickettsial organism Neorickettsai helminthoeca. This organism is then taken up into the blood stream, blood cells and lymph nodes.
Salmon poisoning is seen in dogs of all ages and primarily occurs in the northern Pacific portion of the U.S. and the Pacific costal are of Canada.
1. What to Watch For
Common signs of Salmon poisoning include:
Fever
Lack of appetite (anorexia)
Lethargy
Vomiting
Diarrhea (with or without blood)
Dehydration
Depression
Enlarged lymph nodes
Nasal and eye discharge may be seen in some dogs
Fever
2. Diagnosis
Baseline tests to include a complete blood count (CBC), biochemical profile, and urinalysis are recommended in all patients, and are often within normal limits.
Radiographs (x-rays) of the thorax (chest) and abdomen are helpful in ruling out other disorders.
Isolation of the organism via special staining procedures.
Lymph node aspirates
Fecal Examination in Dogs may reveal characteristic eggs of the carrier N. salminocola
3. TreatmentMost of these patients are acutely (abruptly) ill and need hospitalization. Treatment to treat infection, control vomiting and maintain hydration is essential.
Fluid and electrolyte therapy is recommended.
Drugs to control vomiting.
Monitoring for extreme elevations in body temperature and treating, as with cool water baths.
Appropriate antibiotic administration may include Doxycycline (Vibramycin®), Tetracycline (Panmycin®), Oxytetracycline (Terramycin®, Liquamycin®), or Ampicillin (Polyflex®).
Anthelmintics (dewormers) are effective against the fluke (carrier). Praziquantel (Droncit®, Drontal®) is a drug commonly used.
4. PrognosisThe prognosis is good in pets that are aggressively treated with fluids, antibiotics and medications to control vomiting. Many untreated dogs die within 4 to 10 days.
5. Home Care and PreventionAdminister all medication and diet as directed by your veterinarian. Overall prognosis is good if caught and treated early. Dogs not treated usually succumb within 5 to 10 days.
Prevent animals from eating raw fish.
Dr. Bari Spielman
petplace.com
Posted 10/4/09
| NUTRO Recalls Several Cat Food Varieties |
Out of an abundance of caution, on May 21, 2009, Nutro Products announced a voluntary recall of select varieties of NUTRO(R) NATURAL CHOICE(R) COMPLETE CARE(R) Dry Cat Foods and NUTRO(R) MAX(R) Cat Dry Foods with "Best If Used By Dates" between MAY 12, 2010 and AUGUST 22, 2010. This recall is due to incorrect levels of zinc and potassium in our finished product resulting from a production error by a US-based premix supplier.
Two mineral premixes were affected. One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium. Both zinc and potassium are essential nutrients for cats and are added as nutritional supplements to NUTRO(R) dry cat food. As soon as we became aware of the issue, we made the decision to hold shipments of affected dry cat product, and took immediate action to verify with our mineral premix supplier that no other products were affected. We then contacted the FDA to notify them of the voluntary recall. A full list of affected products and answers to frequently asked questions are found here.
We have completed a comprehensive audit of premixes for all NUTRO(R) products, and have confirmed that this issue only affects certain dry cat food products. No other NUTRO(R) products are affected, including dry dog food, wet dog and cat foods and dog and cat treats.
Consumers who have purchased affected product should immediately discontinue feeding the product to their cats, and switch to another product with a balanced nutritional profile. While we have received no consumer complaints related to this issue, cat owners should monitor their cat for symptoms, including a reduction in appetite or refusal of food, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea. We have suggested that cat owners contact their veterinarian if their cat is experiencing health issues or is pregnant.
Consumers who have purchased product affected by this voluntary recall should return it to their retailer for a full refund or exchange for another NUTRO(R) dry cat food product.
Affected product was distributed to retail customers in all 50 states, as well as to customers in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Israel. We are working with all of our distributors and retail customers, in both the US and internationally, to ensure that the recalled products are not on store shelves.
At Nutro Products, our top priority has always been and continues to be the health and welfare of pets and their owners. If you have any further questions, click here.
Posted 5/22/09
Currently, world disease experts are dealing with an outbreak of human-to-human transmitted H1N1 influenza, known by the misnomer of Swine Flu. here's what you need to know:
1. There is no reported case of this virus occurring in any animal anywhere at this time. The disease remains limited to human-to-human transmission and presents a potential risk to swine populations from humans.
2. The CDC has determined that this new flu virus contains genetic pieces from four different virus sources. The virus consists of North American swine influenza viruses, North American avian influenza viruses, human influenza viruses and swine influenza viruses found in both Asia and Europe. This is perhaps where the name originated.
3. Swine operations in Washington are best served by following strict biosafety precautions as advised by their producer groups and the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
4. The best sources of information for this disease in humans at this time are: Centers For Disease Control (CDC).
For general information on swine influenza, general health information guidelines, updates on the status of the human swine influenza outbreak and travel advisories: World Health Organization (WHO).
5. For those with additional concerns, consider: The National Swine Flu Situation Page (tm). Content on the page updates automatically and contains information from multiple web sites in one location CDC, health, maps, RSS news feeds and more.
6. The Emergency Email & Wireless Network is available free of charge.
Posted 4/30/09
So Long, Spooks - We'll Sure Miss You
He appeared at the Legal building one day in the spring of 2008. He was very shy and wary of people, keeping his distance. We noticed him right away - a big, black chow with deep brown eyes. Someone said his mother was hit by a car on the highway when he was a pup and he'd been
an orphan ever since. He had no home, somehow managing to fend for himself.
Like an elusive shadow, Spooks kept his distance for a long time. A loner when he first showed up on campus, he was extremely shy, fearful and afraid. It took awhile, but after some patience and coaxing, and probably because he was so hungry, he would stretch way out to take a biscuit from our hands. We were all so excited to see that he was beginning to warm up to us.
It became apparent that he was depending on us to feed him (not knowing of course that this clever pooch made his rounds to the Tribal School and the Elders for meals too). So between a number of us, we brought biscuits, leftovers, and scraps from The Kettle in Enumclaw and he was getting regular meals.
He became a regular fixture and knew what time we arrived at the office and would be dutifully waiting for us. He and his buddy, Harley, would come trotting across the parking lot, ears flat, tails wagging furiously, and eyes sparkling with joy looking for their breakfast. He finally allowed us to scratch his ears and and pat his head. We were even treated to an occasional belly scratch if he was too lazy to get up off the ground.
Sadly, Harley was the first to disappear. It was during the week-long snow storm. we don't know what happened to him, but we just haven't seen him since. Harley really had an owner and home, but he and Spooks were buddies, so he hung out at the legal office too.
Jeanette and I had this little fun feud going where she would come to the police office to report Harley as a runaway or accuse me of dog-napping, but then I would tease her in return that she would be getting Tribal court papers for custody and a name change.
When I showed up at the office one Wednesday morning Spooks was there as usual, waiting. He looked up at her, wagging his tail as she filled the dog dish. "What do you think this is - breakfast in bed?" Sue said when Spooks didn't get up to eat. It was only when he began struggling to get to his feet that she realized that his hind leg was badly injured. He must've been hit by a car, and then managed to drag himself all that way to the Legal Building where he knew his friends would find him.
With never so much as having a collar on, it was a challenge to get him to a vet. We called on our good friend Tom Harris from KC Animal Control, who was so kind to come out and snare Spooks and transport him to Country Animal Hospital in Enumclaw. Spooks was sedated so the doctor could examine him. The news wasn't good. Both leg bones were severely broken.
The choices were few and expensive, but the most challenging was rehabilitation. Spooks was a free spirit. Alpha. Proud. Strong. Beautiful. He would not have wanted anyone to assist him with walking, or being kenneled. It wasn't his "style".
The choice was made to euthanize, and I must say that although it was sad to see him go, it was good to finally hug on him, pet him from head to tail, clean his eyes, and comfort him. Spooks went peacefully to sleep.
This big black dog quietly captured our hearts and just as quietly departed our company. All of us who loved him every day shall forever remember his big black paw print on our hearts and he'll be dearly missed. Spooks and Harley are somewhere in doggy heaven together. Warm and dry. Not hungry. And they know they were loved.....
This story was a collaboration by Spook's dear friends, Sheriff Sue, Shannon Jurpik, and Dhyan Story
Reprinted from the February 19, 2009 Muckleshoot Monthly
Posted 2/28/09
Six Bald Eagles Found Sick In Enumclaw
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Six eagles have been found in the Enumclaw area in the last week, poisoned and needing medical attention. They are being treated by PAWS. Five of the six eagles have survived. The source of the poisoning has been found and hopefully no more sick eagles are out there. Our Game Warden, Bruce Richards, has been transporting the eagles to PAWS for medical care.
The cost to care for each eagle is $140 per week. Donations are being accepted for the care of these eagles on behalf of PAWS at Country Animal Hospital and City Perk on Cole Street in Enumclaw. You can also donate directly to PAWS.
PAWS is a 501©3 tax exempt organization and your contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Their phone number is 425-787-2500, extension 818.
Thank you so much for your donations to refund the expense PAWS incurred to care for our eagles. You can contact me at Country Animal Hospital, 360-825-2061.
Heather Horton, DVM
Posted 2/18/09
Peanut Butter Recalls Include Pet
Treats
Ongoing and expanded recalls related to the investigation of salmonella poisoning in peanut butter products. Excellent information pet owners need to know. Click here.
Posted 2/16/09