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Archive for the 'Pet health' Category

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Family cat in Oregon dies after getting swine flu

November 19th, 2009, 1:29 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

swine-flu-virusA cat in Lebanon, Ore., is likely the first cat in the United States to have died as a result of the H1N1 virus, Oregon state veterinary officials said.

Raina Dey of the Oregon Veterinary Medical Association and state public health veterinarian Emilio DeBess said the 10-year-old cat likely contracted the H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, from a human, The Eugene (Ore.) Register-Guard reported Thursday.

Read The Cat Doc’s column: “Can the family cat catch our colds” for advice on combating illness in your pet.

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Posted in: Cats • Elaine Wexler-Mitchell • Pet health • Pets • swine flu • vet • • • • • | 2 Comments »

Poll: Should employers offer pet insurance?

November 18th, 2009, 2:38 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

caseymayo1While a lot of us are just hoping to hang on to our jobs in a tenuous economy, some of the rock-solid companies are offering a new perk in the employee package: health care for pets.

Companies like Google, Disney, AOL, HSBC, home improvement chain Home Depot and eBay offer health insurance for their employees’ cats and dogs, a niche market that has sprung up in the wake of a spike in costs for veterinary treatment.

“We do offer voluntary pet insurance as one of our benefits. Google is committed to helping our employees lead healthier lives, and we try to support personal well-being in a number of ways,” Google spokesman Jordan Newman told Agence France-Presse.

“We know that pets can be an important and valued part of our employees’ lives and we want them to have the option to enroll in this benefit,” he adds.

Should employers offer pet insurance as perk?
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Posted in: Cats • Dogs • Pet business • Pet health • Pets • insurance • poll • • • • • • • • | 1 Comment »

The Cat Doc: Can the family cat catch our colds?

November 12th, 2009, 7:00 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

newwexler-sigWe humans are at the start of our cold and flu season, and owners are asking me whether or not their cats can catch their colds.

The answer is probably not — at least not if you are dealing with a viral infection.

The common cold that we contract is a virus, and most viruses are species specific, which means humans get human viruses and cats get cat viruses. Unfortunately, cures for human upper respiratory viruses do not exist, so treatment involves relieving symptoms and trying to prevent secondary bacterial infections. The same holds true for “kitty colds”.

Just like with our human colds, kitty colds are contagious to other cats, and it is common for multiple cats to be affected in a household.

Kitty colds caused by viruses usually cause sneezing and a clear discharge from the nose and/or eyes. A more serious upper respiratory infection (a combination of a virus and a bacterial infection) in a cat would be characterized by fever, enlarged lymph nodes, yellow to green discharge from the eyes and nose, and loss of appetite. Antibiotics would be needed if these additional symptoms were present, and they would fight the bacterial component of the infection.

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Posted in: Cats • Elaine Wexler-Mitchell • Pet health • Pets • swine flu • vet • • • • | Post a Comment »

Poll: Would you support a ban on cat declawing?

November 6th, 2009, 3:58 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

The controversial practice of declawing a cat, or amputating its toe tips, is one step closer to an outright ban in Los Angeles.

The city council on Friday gave its approval to an ordinance that would prohibit the declawing of cats. The proposal requires one more vote from the council before it goes to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his signature.

There are no plans to ban the practice in Orange County although city councils have weighed the option with no action, to date.

Los Angeles councilman Paul Koretz, who proposed the ordinance along with Councilman Bill Rosendahl, called declawing a form of mutilation.

“We need to ban declawing, which is one of the most cruel practices,” he said. “The obvious truth is that declawing does nothing good for cats. It is not clipping nails. It is actually amputation, sometimes leaving cats crippled and in pain for the rest of the lives.”

The ordinance states that “no person, licensed medical professional or otherwise, shall perform or cause to be performed an onychectomy (declawing) or flexor tendonectomy procedure for any means on a cat or any other animal within the city, except when necessary for a therapeutic purpose.”

Violations would be considered misdemeanors.

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Would you support a ban on cat declawing in Orange County?
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Posted in: Cats • Government • Pet health • Pets • declawing • • • | Post a Comment »

Veterinary association updates FAQs on swine flu

November 6th, 2009, 12:37 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

Since the news broke of a housecat in Iowa testing positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, pet owners and veterinarians alike have been scrambling to learn more: Can my pet get sick? What would the symptoms of H1N1 in cats be? How is it identified? How is it treated?

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has been in contact with experts and agencies across the country to learn more about this case and share this information with the public and veterinarians.

Cat owners, don’t forget to take our potty talk poll!

The results of these efforts are now available on the AVMA’s Web site, where those wanting to learn more can access continuously updated “Frequently Asked Questions” on the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, how the virus might affect pets, and what veterinarians should know when talking with clients and treating patients.

Bookmark their FAQ site and find out more about swine flu in pets.

And while you’re at it, join Pet Tales’ daily newsletter.

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Recent animal news:

Posted in: Animals • Cats • Dogs • Pet health • Pets • swine flu • vet • • | 1 Comment »

FDA: Avoid Pet Carousel’s pig ears, hooves

November 6th, 2009, 12:24 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

pet-carousel-250pxHere’s a followup to the story yesterday about a beef hoof recall. The FDA has now added Pet Carousel’s pig ears to the list …

Due to concerns of potential salmonella contamination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers against using pig ears and beef hooves pet treats manufactured by Pet Carousel Inc. of Sanger.

Pet Carousel manufactures the products under several brand names. 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.

Consumers can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food and pet treat products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in their area. Click here to locate the nearest consumer complaint coordinator. For information, call 1-888-INFO-FDA

The products were distributed nationwide in both bulk and retail packaging for sale in pet food and retail chain stores. All sizes and all lots of the products are included in the FDA’s warning, issued on Nov. 5.

Petsmart voluntarily recalled its Dentley’s beef hooves on Nov. 4. The recalled products include Dentley’s Bulk Cattle Hoof and Dentley’s 10-Pack Beef Hooves. Read the full-story here.

The FDA’s warning comes after the agency conducted a routine testing of Pet Carousel’s pigs ears in September. The test results detected a positive reading for salmonella, thus prompting an investigation, according to the FDA. The FDA reported finding salmonella present in the company’s pig ears, beef hooves and manufacturing environment.

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Posted in: Dogs • Government • Pet health • Pets • recall • • • • • • • | Post a Comment »

Low-cost clinic spares ‘Octo Kitty’ more babies

November 5th, 2009, 6:08 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

mama-kittens

sams-sig1

My co-workers might as well call me Cat Lady.

For months I’ve been regaling them with stories about Mama Kitty, a prolific, free-roaming cat on my street in Old Towne Orange.

Mama Kitty waddled up back in March, round and ready to pop. She busted out four wee ones on April 23. It took some time, but eventually I rounded up her hissing posse of kits from a neighbor’s unused dog house, convinced the critters that friendly really was best, and found the foursome — Lily, Smokey, Sophie and Taz — new homes.

Except for Mama.

I stuffed the grumpy cat into my trusty cat carrier and hustled her to the low-cost spay and neuter clinic in Garden Grove: The Golden State Humane Society.

A few hours later, the phone rang here at my desk.

Ms. Gowen, we cannot spay your cat; she’s pregnant.”

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Posted in: Animal shelters • Animals • Cats • Pets • Spay-Neuter • Wildlife • contest • feral • litter box • low-cost clinic • • • • | 2 Comments »

Salmonella prompts Petsmart to recall beef hooves

November 5th, 2009, 11:56 am by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

Round up the beef hooves; there might be bacteria lurking.

PetSmart is voluntarily recalling two Dentley’s Beef Hoof products for potential salmonella contamination. The products were manufactured by Pet Carousel, Inc. in Sanger.

The recalled products include only the following types of Dentley’s Beef Hooves purchased between Oct. 2 and Nov. 3:

  • Dentley’s Bulk Cattle Hoof UPC# 73725703323
  • Dentley’s 10 Pack Beef Hooves UPC# 73725736055

No other products are included in this recall.

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Posted in: Dogs • Pet business • Pet health • PetSmart • Pets • recall • safety • • • | Post a Comment »

Jillian Reynolds ups reward to $2,000 in dog case

November 4th, 2009, 12:16 pm by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

maggie-cone

Good Day LA TV personality Jillian Reynolds, also known as Jillian Barberie, has added $1,000 to the reward money to help solve the beating case of Maggie, a dog rescued Oct. 30 in Huntington Beach.

The dog was seen being beaten by two young boys wielding miniature baseball bats. A passerby witnessed the attack, intervened and then carted the injured pit bull home, literally, in a shopping cart.

The witness, Stephen Taonev, sought help from a neighbor who transported the dog to the Animal Assistance League of Orange County, which has a shelter in Midway City. Shelter employees realized the dog could not walk from her injuries, so they took her to the Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine pet hospital in Tustin on Saturday for treatment.

The dog is recovering and the AALOC continues to seek tips on who beat Maggie. Reynolds plans to interview the AALOC president at 7:45 a.m. Thursday morning during the Good Day LA newscast on KTTV Fox11.

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Posted in: Abuse • Animal shelters • Celebrities • Dogs • Pet health • Pets • Rescue groups • Rescued • adopt • • • • • | 40 Comments »

It’s official: Cat catches swine flu from owner

November 4th, 2009, 11:17 am by Samantha Gowen, Pet Tales editor

Well, now we know. Family pets can catch swine flu, too.

The H1N1 virus has been confirmed in a cat treated at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, The Associated Press is reporting.

File photo

Officials said Wednesday it’s the first known case of the virus to be diagnosed in a cat. Veterinarians say the virus has also been confirmed in two ferrets, one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska.

The 13-year-old cat was treated in Ames, Iowa, and is recovering.

The veterinarian who treated the cat, Dr. Brett Sponseller, says two of the three people in the same house had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill.

The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sponseller says the flu is known to spread from humans to pets, but this is the first case of swine flu to spread to a cat.

Turn the page for FAQ from the American Veterinary Medical Association.

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Posted in: Cats • Pet health • Pets • swine flu • vet • • • • • | 4 Comments »

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