Part 1 How Fun this series is!
Enjoy the wine and special pups too!
Animal Health Foundation Blog
Archive for the ‘Dogs’ Category
The Dogs of California Wine Country
Monday, March 1st, 20219 Facts About Corn in Pet Food
Monday, March 1st, 2021
-By Susan Thixton – The Truth About Pet Food
Corn doesn’t have to be a risk ingredient, but it CAN be. Facts you should know about corn ingredients before you trust your pet’s life with that pet food.
Kids and Interaction With Dogs
Saturday, February 27th, 2021
Heartworm Preventative – Year Round or Not?
Friday, February 26th, 2021Paraphrased from Dr. Judy Morgan:
Mosquitoes are the main way that heartworms are transmitted. There are 3 stages. The first 2 (L1 and L2 larvae) require temperatures above 80 F (27 C) for a minimum of two weeks to reach L3. That is the infection stage. So. while most veterinarians recommend year-round administration of heartworm preventative, it may only be required seasonally in some areas.
Since there are a lot of variables, Dr. Morgan wrote a blog to “…try and help you decide what kind of heartworm preventative may be recommended for your pet”.
Column: Are you giving your pets supplements to ward off COVID? Don’t bother
Friday, February 26th, 2021From the Los Angeles Times
The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a boom in consumption of dietary supplements, with one recent report estimating 12% growth in sales last year.
ACIP shortens recommendation for rabies PrEP to two-dose schedule
Thursday, February 25th, 2021The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted Wednesday to shorten the recommendation for rabies PrEP to a two-dose vaccine schedule, aligning with international guidance.
Prepare Your Home for an Earthquake and Keep You and Your Pets Safe
Tuesday, November 24th, 2020From: www.porch.com at:
https://porch.com/advice/prepare-home-earthquake-keep-pets-safe
November 2, 2020
While many homeowners are under the false impression that earthquakes are restricted to certain areas of the U.S., the reality is that an earthquake can strike any location at any time. Although states like California, Alaska, Washington, and Oregon are more prone to the risk of an earthquake, one can happen anywhere without warning. An earthquake can cause tsunamis, landslides, fires, and other disturbances that can wreak havoc on an entire region.
As with any natural disaster, the best time to prepare is before the unexpected happens. Read on to learn about earthquake preparedness tips you can use to safeguard your home, family, and pets.
Earthquake Preparedness Tips for Your Family
While natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and typhoons can be predicted beforehand, even with today’s advanced technology, there’s no fool-proof way for weather departments to detect the location and magnitude of an earthquake. Although scientists do have a general understanding of which areas of the United States are most prone to earthquakes, they’re unfortunately still unable to assess the exact time this type of catastrophe will occur. For that reason, the only way to minimize loss of life and property damage is to prepare beforehand.
No matter where you live, there are certain earthquake safety tips you can implement to ensure your family’s safety.
Earthquake Readiness Planning Begins Inside the Home
The best place to begin planning your family’s earthquake safety measures is within your home. Follow these five earthquake safety procedures to keep your family safe:
- Identify both the safest and most dangerous areas of your home. Review these areas with your family members so everyone understands where to go if disaster strikes.
- Designate a safe zone where you and other family members can meet if you get separated during or after an earthquake.
- Since fires often break out after earthquakes, make sure your family knows where the fire extinguisher is and how to use it properly.
- Run regular earthquake readiness drills with your family so they become more familiar with how to respond if a disaster occurs.
- Review your community’s earthquake preparedness plans. Identify your city’s safety zones and include an emergency meeting place in your family’s plan in case you get separated.
Build an Earthquake Emergency Kit
After an earthquake, you may have to survive for several days on your own until help arrives. Smart earthquake preparedness means you have enough food, water, and other essential supplies to last for several days. Build a collection of basic household items that you might need if you’re forced to evacuate your home quickly or if you’re unable to leave your home temporarily.
What to Include in an Earthquake Emergency Kit
When assembling your earthquake emergency kit, take your family’s unique needs into account. For example, consider the needs of your pets or senior citizens when building your kit. If you have a baby, don’t forget to pack formula, bottles, wipes, diapers, and other essentials. A basic disaster supply kit safety checklist should include:
- A gallon of water per person per day to last several days
- At least a three-day supply of non-perishable food that can be prepared without gas or electricity
- Flashlights with extra batteries
- A first aid kit
- Waterproof matches
- A battery-powered emergency radio so you can keep up with current information
- A whistle to signal for help
- A manual can opener
- A map of your city
- Hand sanitizer or moist towelettes
- Prescription medications
- Non-prescription medicines such as ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and antacids
- Masks to help filter contaminated air
- Copies of important documents such as ID cards, bank account information, and insurance policies
- Sleeping bags or heavy blankets to stay warm
Create an Earthquake-Proof Home to Prevent Structural Damage
Prepare your home for an earthquake to keep your family and home safe from seismic activity. Use this home safety checklist to reduce property damage and help ensure safety:
Purchase Earthquake Insurance
If you live in a region that’s particularly prone to earthquakes, purchasing earthquake insurance is critical. Depending on the magnitude, an earthquake can cause extensive damage to property. Most homeowner’s insurance policies don’t cover earthquake-related damage. If disaster does strike, earthquake insurance can help cover the costs of repairing your home or purchasing a new one so you and your family can continue to live life as normal.
Reinforce the Structural Elements of Your Home
Many new properties are built on a strong foundation, but older homes may be held in place simply by their weight. If your home isn’t fixed firmly to the ground, it may be prone to wobbling, cracking, or crumbling if an earthquake occurs. Here are a few ways you can create an earthquake-proof home:
- Repair any cracks in your walls or roof.
- Reinforce the cripple wall of your home, which is located between the foundation and the first floor of your home.
- Reinforce attached structures such as your garage, chimney, and joint shed.
- Secure anchor bolts or steel plates between the foundation and the house. This small investment can prevent your home from sliding or being overturned during an earthquake.
Secure Items within Your House
After an earthquake, gas leaks can be even more dangerous than the natural disaster itself. Consider investing in automatic shut-off devices or breakaway gas shut-off devices so you can easily turn the gas off. Then, follow these safety precautions to prepare the inside of your home for an earthquake:
- Fasten taller furniture like wardrobes, armoires, and bookcases to the wall with straps or safety cables.
- Hang heavier objects such as mirrors and artwork away from couches, beds, or any other furniture where people sit.
- On shelves, place heavier objects and breakables as low as possible.
- Secure your water heater to the wall.
- Install safety film on glass doors and windows.
- Secure ceiling fixtures like chandeliers and ceiling lights to the permanent structure of your home.
- Install latches on cabinet doors and drawers to prevent items from spilling out.
- Identify the locations of your circuit breaker or electrical fuse box and water shut-off valve so you can quickly turn them off if needed.
If you’re unsure about how earthquake-proof your home is, a professional engineer can evaluate your structure. Don’t hesitate to ask about home safety repair and strengthening tips for features like your porch, deck, sliding glass doors, carport, garage door, or other structures.
Earthquake Pet Safety Tips to Practice During and After an Earthquake
After an earthquake, it’s not uncommon for families to deal with the grief of a missing pet that became separated during the catastrophe. Unfortunately, many pets may never be reunited with their family members due to poor earthquake preparedness. In an emergency like an earthquake, your pet will be even more dependent on you for its well-being and safety. Your family’s earthquake disaster preparedness plan should also include the needs of your pet.
What to Include in an Emergency Kit for Pets
Make sure your furry family members are also ready for a major disaster like an earthquake by following these earthquake pet safety tips. When building a disaster preparedness kit for your pets, follow these safety procedures:
- Pack enough food and water to last for at least five days for each pet. Don’t forget to pack your pet’s bowl and a manual can opener.
- Make sure your pet is properly identified by a tag, collar, or microchip. Your pet should always wear an ID, even when indoors.
- Become aware of your pet’s favorite hiding places. If your pet becomes frightened, it may try to hide.
- Keep a list of your pet’s medical records and medications and store this information in a waterproof container.
- Keep a leash, harness, and secure carrier close by in case you need to suddenly leave your home.
- Take current photos of your pet to help others identify it if you become separated.
- Display a pet alert window sticker on your house to let first responders know there’s an animal inside.
- Write down information about your pet’s feeding schedule or medical conditions along with the contact information of your veterinarian in case you have to temporarily board your pet or place it in a shelter.
- Include your pet’s favorite toy and blanket in the kit for increased comfort.
The above guide is primarily about common household pets such as cats and dogs. If you’re looking for earthquake disaster preparedness tips for other animals such as reptiles, birds, or small animals like hamsters or gerbils, follow these recommendations from the ASPCA.
Prepare Now for an Earthquake
Since earthquakes are more unpredictable than other natural disasters, they can be extremely dangerous. The likelihood of aftershocks following an earthquake can make matters even worse. While there’s no way to know when an earthquake will occur, you can do your part to prepare for one beforehand. Keeping every member of your family educated about earthquake readiness is important. Hopefully, these earthquake safety measures will help you keep you, your family, and your pets safe before, during, and after an earthquake.
Surviving the Holidays without Your Pet
Wednesday, November 18th, 2020TO REGISTER: https://petlosspartners.com/special-events/
5 Things You May Not Know About Goldens
Wednesday, November 18th, 2020Making sense of genetic disease in dogs and cats
Thursday, October 15th, 2020From Journal of the American Veternary Medical Association (JAVMA)
Making sense of genetic disease in dogs and cats
Published on October 14, 2020
Understanding genetic disease in mixed-breed and purebred dogs and cats can bring about more effective treatments and better client service, says clinical geneticist and general practitioner Dr. Jerold Bell.
“If we understand the genetic background of our patients, we’re better positioned to prevent, to mitigate, or to alter the expression of genetic disease, allowing our patients to be healthier in their lifetimes as well as to breed healthier dogs and cats,” Dr. Bell said.
An adjunct professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, Dr. Bell spoke about genetic diseases during the AVMA Virtual Convention 2020 this August. In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Bell works as a solo practitioner, and he sees “dogs and cats all day long and sees genetic disease in our patients all day long.”
He explained that common genetic disorders are caused by ancient disease liability genes that preceded breed formation. Since these mutations occurred long before the separation of breeds, these diseases are seen across all breeds and in mixed breeds.
The most common hereditary diseases in dogs are allergies, followed by hip and elbow dysplasia; inherited cancers such as lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor, and osteosarcoma; patella luxation; nonstruvite bladder stones; hypothyroidism; mitral valve disease; inflammatory bowel disease; diabetes mellitus; retained testicles; and umbilical hernias.
In cats, the most prevalent genetic diseases are inflammatory cystitis, then feline urological syndrome, diabetes mellitus, lymphoplasmocytic gingivostomatitis, nonstruvite bladder stones, allergies, eosinophilic skin disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Disease is not a function of homozygosity, which happens when identical DNA sequences for a particular gene are inherited from both biological parents, nor is it a consequence of inbreeding. Rather, Dr. Bell explained, hereditary diseases are a result of the accumulation and propagation of specific disease liability genes. Breed-related deleterious genes accumulate in various ways, including direct selection for disease-associated phenotypes, linkage to selected traits, carriage by popular sires, genetic drift, and—most importantly—the absence of selection against deleterious phenotypes.
“If we don’t select for healthy parents to produce offspring, then we have no expectation of health in those offspring,” Dr. Bell said. “Not selecting for health is selecting for disease, and we need to understand that and pass that on to our breeder clients.”
On the topic of disease and extreme phenotypes, Dr. Bell said brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome is frequently diagnosed at veterinary clinics on account of the popularity of certain brachycephalic dog breeds, namely Pugs, French Bulldogs, and Bulldogs. Most breed standards do not call for the expression of extreme phenotypes, he said, nor do they select for the most extreme size or the most extreme brachycephalic trait.
“Moderation away from extremes that cause disease should be the guiding principle in breeding,” Dr. Bell noted, and in judging dog shows.
Common genetic diseases seen in mixed-breed dogs and cats occur randomly because of dispersed ancient liability genes, according to Dr. Bell. Uncommon and breed-specific recessive or complexly inherited disease is far less likely to occur in mixed-breed individuals.
Dr. Bell said designer-bred dogs and cats often have inherited diseases common in random-bred populations. They can also inherit disease liability genes shared by the parent breeds or parent species. “So if you’re breeding short-statured breeds together, it wouldn’t be surprising to see patellar luxation, or in smaller toy size breeds, to see mitral valve disease,” he said.
Hereditary disease manifests as a result of anatomical mismatch between parent breeds. “We see a lot of this in dental disease, where we see crowding of teeth and malocclusions and misplaced teeth,” Dr. Bell continued. “Even in the musculoskeletal, if you breed two breeds with different body types together, we may see degenerative joint disease and poor joints. All of these things, all need to be monitored.”