Nail Trimmers = Tazmanian Devil

Fido puts his paw on you to say "I need to go outside and potty", before you process that information, the sensation of his long, sharp toe-nails scratching your leg takes over...ouch! You go to the tool drawer and pull out the nail trimmers and boom, Fido turns into a tazmanian devil; it takes everyone in the house to hold him down and get those nails trimmed up. Weeks later, same thing, finally, you take him to the veterinarian to have it done but he's horrible there, too. The veterinarian says, we'll need to sedate Fido, next time, for his nail trim, he was biting everyone and he really doesn't like to have it done. Far too many of us can relate to that little scenario.

I recently read an article by Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS about training your pet to enjoy a nail trim. It's really an article about counter-conditioning your pet's behavior, specifically his/her loathsome outbursts during nail-trimming. It's really good, so I'm gonna let you read it and watch the video. Even if your pet isn't bad during nail-trims, it's still a good read, the concepts she's using here can be extrapolated to other negative behaviors as well.

Find the article and video here.

Dr. Sophia Yin is a veterinary behaviorist and currently sees behavior house calls, works at San Francisco Veterinary Specialists (www.SFVS.net), writes for several veterinary and popular magazines and has consulted for several zoos. She also lectures and teaches workshops internationally on animal behavior and low stress handling and has served as a behavior expert for shows such as Dogs 101 on Animal Planet. She is also on the executive board for the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) Handling Guidelines Committee, and the American Humane Association (AHA) Animal Behavior and Training Advisory Committee.

One thing that the article and video don't mention, that I'd like to add, is that although the dog in the video was counter-conditioned in about 4 minutes, your dog may require a little more patience and training to overcome his anxiety or negative behavior. The principles she uses here are excellent, but I'd say take your time and your dog will learn to love his nail trims too.

Late Summer Dangers

Man, it's been hot! Too hot to do anything outside, but as Fall begins and the temperatures start to moderate a little, we'll be itching to get back outside and play with our pals. Just wanted to make you aware of a few things to watch for as you venture back into the outdoors with your pets.

First of all, the heat is still pretty oppressive right now but mornings and evenings are starting to let up a little, so try to have your four-legged friends do most of their playing during those times to avoid heat stress. Of course we've talked about the dangers of high temperatures before, but in case you missed it, click here.

In late summer, one thing we see commonly are eye injuries due to pets playing and running through the tall weeds and grasses. The stems and seed heads can scratch the cornea and cause lacerations and ulcerations that can easily result in severe vision loss if not treated promptly and appropriately by your veterinarian. We even find grass seeds that are stuck in the eyelids, causing constant pain and irritation. So after playing in the tall weeds and grasses, make sure you take a look at your pets eyes to check for these problems. Excessive tearing or eye drainage, excessive squinting of the eye, redness, or swelling of the eye could indicate a problem and should be evaluated promptly by your veterinarian. Waiting a few days for it to get better is not recommended with eye injuries, typically withholding treatment for even a day or two can lead to a devastating eye infection.

Fleas and ticks are always a problem, in our area, but ticks seem to really love the hot, dry weather of late summer; so be on the lookout for these critters. Ticks can carry a multitude of diseases, some of which can infect humans as well as the dog and cat. I am currently treating a canine patient for Ehrlichia, a rickettsial (bacterial-like) disease that ticks carry, which causes bleeding, lethargy, anorexia, fever, weight loss, trouble breathing, and other more severe abnormalities. Ticks can also carry other similar diseases that can cause deadly illness in the dog.

Keeping a good flea and tick prevention on your dog will definitely help protect him from the creepie crawlies and the diseases they carry. Flea and tick prevention products are quite numerous these days; it seems you can purchase them almost anywhere now. These products, when used correctly, work great to keep your pet parasite free; however, if not applied correctly, they can be harmful, too. When buying over-the-counter flea and tick products, there seldom is someone that can give expert advice on how to apply the product and which product(s) will be safe for your pet...so, see your veterinarian to purchase these products; your veterinarian will know what products work best for your pet and how to correctly and safely use them.

I guess it wouldn't be right to leave out the snakes and gators...they're still out there, if you're in the right area. Be careful when allowing dogs to swim in or around the Pearl River, the alligators are still very active; snakes too. Often, alligators and snakes can be undetected until its too late, so just avoid those areas, if possible. The alligators are obviously deadly for a dog; snakebites are often very treatable, though.

Just a few words of caution to keep your four-legged pals protected and safe while venturing outdoors during the late summer/early fall.

Your Pet's Food Could Pose a Health Risk

There have been six pet food recalls issued this year by manufacturers because of possible salmonella contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration. However, the FDA says there have been no reported salmonella illnesses linked to pet food since an outbreak in 2006-08. A study about the 2006-2008 outbreak was published online Monday by the medical journal Pediatrics, which stated that the outbreak caused sickness in 79 people in 21 states, between 2006 and 2008. Almost half of the victims were children aged 2 and younger. The outbreak was caused by salmonella bacteria found in several brands of dry dog and cat food, including Pedigree and Special Kitty, all linked back to the Mars Petcare US production plant in Pennsylvania.

Casey Barton Behravesh, the author of the report from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says "Dry pet foods are an under-recognized source of salmonella infections in humans, and it's likely other illnesses since then were unknowingly caused by tainted pet food". Behravesh went on to say, "While young children were most often affected, there's no evidence that they got sick by eating pet food. They probably became infected by touching affected animals or dirty pet food dishes, and then putting their hands in their mouths".

"It's a tough thing because pets are not symptomatic like we are and can shed this [salmonella] for up to 10 to 12 weeks" in their feces, said Dr. Peter Richel, chief of pediatrics at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, N.Y. "It is a little disconcerting to hear that otherwise benign-appearing pet food can pose any risk at all."

Symptoms of salmonellosis reported during the outbreak included bloody diarrhea and fever. Although 11 people were reportedly hospitalized during the outbreak, there were no deaths reported. Investigators found salmonella bacteria in stool samples from pets who ate the tainted food but no pets were reported to develop symptoms related to salmonella.

According to Jill Franks, company regulatory director of Mars Pet Care US, the company subsequently recalled pet food made at the plant during the outbreak and improved training and testing practices at its 17 U.S. plants after the investigation failed to reveal any underlying cause of the contamination. Heating of the food during the manufacturing process generally kills salmonella but Behravesh said contamination may have occurred during a later process.

"The public should not be unduly worried about pet food as a source of salmonella. Companies are very vigilant and in rare occasions when it occurs, products are pulled off the market," says Duane Ekedahl, president of the Pet Food Institute.

The authors of the study advise pediatricians to ask about contact with pets when evaluating infectious disease symptoms, and also recommend that parents be aware of possible contamination when children are in contact with pets and pet food. They recommend the following precautions to reduce infection:

--washing hands after contact with pets, pet food and pet bowls.
--routinely cleaning pet food bowls and feeding areas.
--keeping children younger than age 5 away from pet food and feeding areas.
--cleaning pets' food and water dishes in a separate sink or tub, not in the kitchen or bathtub.
--avoiding bathing infants in the kitchen sink.

This new study, "re-emphasizes the importance of washing your hands whenever you deal with anything from a pet, including petting him, touching his mouth or cleaning up after him, especially for children whose immune systems are very weak in comparison to adults," said Dr. Philip Tierno, clinical professor of microbiology and pathology at New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City and author of The Secret Life of Germs. "Hand washing is the single most important thing anyone can do to protect their health, and that's within everyone's purview if you teach them," Tierno said. "You can do that and not be afraid."

This report highlights the need for parents/pet owners to emphasize hygiene to their children, especially around pets and pet foods. Most people do not consider pet food a source for illnesses, this report illustrates that possibility. For more information about salmonella, visit the CDC website.

I Care for Animals

Many of my clients adopt their pets from local shelters and many of these pets haven't had appropriate care prior to arrival at these shelters. It is a sad situation that these pets are in and the shelters in our area are at capacity. It was determined last year that approximately 109,000 animals enter Mississippi animal shelters each year and only 35,000 make it out alive. Yes that's over 70,000 animals euthanized each year. Unfortunately, those are the real numbers.

What can you do to help? Well, first spay and neuter your pets to prevent overpopulation. That's the obvious thing. Spaying and neutering also has other health and behavioral benefits for your pet. The prevention of cancers and other unwanted health concerns are at the top of the list, among other benefits. Secondly, if you're in the market for a pet, check your local shelters first; chances are, you just may find what you're looking for. Not in the market for a new pet, no problem, your local shelters are always in need of volunteers to help care for the pets they have. Lastly, there is a car tag program here in Mississippi called "I Care for Animals".

The "I Care for Animals" program allows Mississippians to purchase this license plate

for an additional $31. The money from each tag goes to city and county animal shelters, private animal shelters and humane organizations that submit grant applications for these funds. This program has helped homeless, injured and abused animals in shelters and humane organizations all across Mississippi.

Alternatively, you may wish to simply donate to the “I Care for Animals” program by sending a donation to the following address:

Mississippi Board of Animal Health

Attn: I Care of Animals

P.O. Box 3889

Jackson, MS 39207

For a list of animal shelters in Mississippi, click here.

Off and Running

Alright, I've decided to start a blog after realizing that this may be the best forum to put my ideas, insights and random thoughts into the world. Primarily, I'd like this blog to be informative for our clients, fans and other interested readers; but from time to time we may stray a bit and just include some off-topic stuff. I'm gonna do my best to keep this casual and laid back, so those of you reading this, please feel free to send me an email with ideas for future topics, or general questions about your pets. I'll try my best to use them here on the blog. By the way, the blog's title may be a bit misleading as I do treat the feline species as well as the dog!