Our hard working staff

Our dedicated staff got a chance to gather for the annual Christmas party in mid December. Then it was back to work for the holidays. Thank you to all of the doctors and staff that missed spending the holidays with their family!

Bad news for us all:

Northeast bat toll hits 90%

White-nose syndrome has claimed the lives of more than 1 million insect-eating bats over the past two winters due to premature loss of fat reserves, starvation and possibly an undetected pathogen, experts say.

Read More Here

From the Los Angeles Times: New York dog becomes nation's 1st confirmed to be carrying swine flu

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — A dog in suburban New York is the first in the nation confirmed to be carrying the same strain of swine flu that is infecting humans, experts said Tuesday.

The 13-year-old mixed breed male, which is recovering, apparently caught the virus from his owner. But Michael San Filippo, a spokesman for the American Veterinary Medical Association, said there's no evidence that the flu strain can be transmitted from a pet to a person.

"In theory it could happen, but so far it's really looking like a dead end in pets," he said.

Dr. Anne Schuchat of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that animals can carry and spread flu viruses, but such cases are rare and people should not be afraid to enjoy their pets.

The CDC says swine flu is waning among humans. It said infections were widespread in 11 states, down from 48 in late October.

San Filippo said the diagnosis of the 2009 H1N1 virus was confirmed at two labs, including Iowa State University's.

The dog, suffering breathing problems, was taken to the Katonah Bedford Veterinary Center in Bedford Hills, N.Y., on Dec. 13.

The medical director there, David Sachs, said he had the dog tested for swine flu because its owner previously had the virus. The practice would not identify the owner or give the dog's name and Sachs said the owner had decided against speaking with reporters.

The dog came in for a checkup Tuesday and is "getting back to his old self" but has not fully recovered, said veterinarian Julie Steffens.

Among pets, cats and ferrets have previously been found to catch the swine flu strains from humans, and at least one cat and one ferret have died, San Filippo said.

He said the veterinary association is recommending that people with ailing pets wash their hands often. If swine flu is suspected in either owner or pet, he said, "isolate yourselves from each other, which we realize is only possible to some degree."

Ann Hohenhaus, spokeswoman for the Animal Medical Center in New York, said if a pet or an owner is sick, "Don't play kissyface with your dog or your cat or your ferret. You wouldn't with your kids if you were sick, so don't do it with your pet."

Source

125 pilot whales die on NZ beaches, 43 saved

WELLINGTON, New Zealand – Some 125 pilot whales died in New Zealand after stranding on beaches over the weekend — but vacationers and conservation workers managed to coax 43 others back out to sea.

Rescuers monitored the survivors as they swam away from Colville Beach on North Island's Coromandel peninsula, and by Monday morning they were reported well out to sea.

Department of Conservation workers and hundreds of volunteers helped re-float the 43 whales at high tide. The volunteers covered the stranded mammals in sheets and kept them wet through the day.

"Some 63 pilot whales stranded ... but it looks pretty good, we've got 43 live ones," Department of Conservation ranger Steve Bolten said as the pod swam out to sea.

Bolten said one of the whales may have been sick, or their sonar may have led them into the shallow harbor and they couldn't find their way out again.

Meanwhile on South Island, 105 long-finned pilot whales that stranded died Saturday, conservation officials said Monday.

Golden Bay biodiversity program manager Hans Stoffregen said they were discovered by a tourist plane pilot and only 30 were alive when conservation workers arrived.

"They were in bad shape. By the time we got there two-thirds of them had already died. We had to euthanize the rest," he said.

The whales had been out of the water for a long time.

"It has been quite hot and they were very distressed. You could see the pain and suffering in their eyes," he was quoted telling the Southland Times newspaper

Because the site is part of a nature reserve, the 105 whale carcasses were left to decompose where they stranded, Stoffregen said.

Large numbers of whales become stranded on New Zealand's beaches each summer as they pass by on their way to breeding grounds from Antarctic waters. Scientists so far have been unable to explain why whales become stranded.

Source

It's a special Christmas present!

In Asheville, NC:

Woman's Christmas gift is special cat lost 12 years ago

In the news...

Do you know your carbon footprint?

In the News......

Arlington officials seize thousands of exotic animals at business

If experts cannot ID dog breeds, how can cities?

So You Want to Work with Animals?

Couple hopes dog’s pain makes other pets safer

UNC says dogs, hogs won't cause trouble

It's Cold Out There!

Take a look at this article for great tips on protecting your pets from the winter cold!

Dr Grafinger gets his picture in the paper!

Take a look at our article in the Durham Herald!

From our friends at Pet Poison Helpline

Holiday Toxins: Tips from Pet Poison Helpline to Help Keep Your Pet Safe!

Tips on holiday foods, plants and decorations that can put your pet at risk.

By Justine Lee, DVM, DACVECC

The holidays are stressful enough without having to worry about a potentially poisoned pet. Below is a list of holiday-related decorations, plants and food items that the veterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline recommend keeping away from pets.

Holiday Ornaments: When decorating for the season, consider your pets. Holiday decorations such as old-fashioned bubble lights may contain poisonous chemicals. If your pet chews on them, the liquid inside could be dangerous to their health. Methylene chloride, the chemical in bubble lights, can result in depression, aspiration pneumonia and irritation to the eyes, skin and gastrointestinal tract.

Tinsel: Another holiday ornament to avoid is tinsel. If you own a cat, toss the tinsel! What looks like a shiny toy to your cat can prove deadly if ingested. While tinsel itself is not “poisonous,” it can result in a severe linear foreign body if ingested. A linear foreign body occurs when your pet swallows something “stringy” (like ribbon, yarn, tinsel, cassette tape, etc.), which wraps around the base of the tongue or anchors itself in the stomach, rendering it unable to pass through the intestines. As the intestines contract and move, this string or linear foreign body can slowly saw through the tissue, resulting in severe damage to your pet’s intestinal tract. Ultimately, pets run the risk of severe injury to, or rupture of their intestines and treatment involves expensive abdominal surgery. Save your holiday bonus for yourself instead of your pet’s surgery, and keep tinsel, ribbon, yarn, thread, fabric, etc. out of reach!

Antifreeze: During this time of the year, it’s important to make sure your pet isn’t ingesting any radiator coolant! Antifreeze can be found in numerous sources. Here in Minnesota, a lot of people put antifreeze into their cabin’s toilet to prevent it from freezing during the winter, and we see a lot of toxicities here at Pet Poison Helpline from dogs running into cabins and drinking out of the toilet. Finally, there are rumors of small amounts of antifreeze in holiday ornaments such as imported snow globes. Recently, some were found to contain antifreeze (ethylene glycol) in the liquid. If a snow globe falls off the table and cracks open, and your pet licks up the contents of the snow globe, there is the risk of antifreeze poisoning. As little as one teaspoon of antifreeze when ingested by a cat or a tablespoon or two for a dog (depending on their size), can be fatal. Signs of early poisoning include acting drunk or uncoordinated, excessive thirst, and lethargy. While signs may seem to improve after eight to twelve hours, internal damage is actually worsening, and crystals develop in the kidneys resulting in acute kidney failure. Immediate treatment with an antidote (fomepizole or ethanol) is vital. As the antidote only works if given within the first 3 hours for cats and 8-12 hours for dogs, it’s imperative that you seek veterinary care immediately for blood testing for antifreeze poisoning (including an ethylene glycol test and venous blood gas test).

Plants: Though they have a bad rap, poinsettia plants are only mildly toxic. Far more worrisome are holiday bouquets containing lilies, holly or mistletoe. Even bouquets brought into the house by holiday guests should be thoroughly inspected, as lilies are the #1 flower often used by florists. Just one or two bites from a lily can result in severe acute kidney failure in cats – even the pollen is thought to be poisonous! When in doubt, don’t let these bouquets in a cat-loving household!

Other yuletide plants such as holly berries, mistletoe, and rosemary can also be toxic to pets. When Christmas or English holly is ingested, it can result in severe gastrointestinal upset thanks to the spiny leaves and the potentially toxic substances (including saponins, methylxanthines, and cyanogens). If ingested, most pets lip smack, drool, and head shake excessively due to the mechanical injury from the spiny leaves. As for mistletoe, most of us hang it high enough so it’s out of reach of our pets – nevertheless, it can also be toxic if ingested. Thankfully, American mistletoe is less toxic than the European varieties of it. Mild signs of gastrointestinal irritation are seen, although if ingested in large amounts, collapse, hypotension, ataxia (walking drunk), seizures and death have also been reported.

Recently, florists have started to use Japanese Yew to make wreaths – all parts of this evergreen (including the succulent, red berries) are very poisonous, as they contain taxines, biofavonoids and cyanogenic glycosides. If ingested, this Taxus species can result in dizziness, abnormal heart rate (initially elevated, then slowed), hypotension, dilated pupils, coma, and death! As horses are very susceptible to Yew poisoning, make sure not to have this around the barn or pasture!

Alcohol: Most people know not to give alcoholic drinks to their pets; however alcohol poisoning in pets is more common than you think! This is because alcohol can be found in surprising places! Rum-soaked fruitcake or unbaked dough that contains yeast result in alcohol poisoning and other problems. Dough will expand in the warm, moist environment of the stomach and can result in a bloat, which can then progress to a GDV or gastric-dilitation volvulus (twisted stomach). Signs of this include vomiting, non-productive retching, a distended stomach, an elevated heart rate, and weakness or collapse. Secondly, alcohol from the fermenting yeast is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and affects pets quickly. Ingestion of alcohol can cause dangerous drops in blood sugar, blood pressure and body temperature. Intoxicated animals can experience seizures and respiratory failure.

Holiday Foods: With the holiday season comes a delightful variety of baked goods, chocolate confections and other rich, fattening foods. However, it is not wise (and in some cases is quite dangerous) to share these treats with your pets. Keep your pet on his or her regular diet over the holidays and do not let family and friends sneak in treats. Foods that can present problems:

• Foods containing grapes, raisins and currents (such as fruit cakes) can result in kidney failure in dogs.
• Chocolate and cocoa contain theobromine, a chemical highly toxic to dogs and cats. Ingestion in small amounts can cause vomiting and diarrhea but large amounts can cause seizures and heart arrhythmias.
• Many sugarless gums and candies contain xylitol, a sweetener which is toxic to dogs. It causes a life-threatening drop in blood sugar and liver failure.
• Leftover, fatty meat scraps can produce severe inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis) leading to abdominal pain, vomiting and bloody diarrhea.

Liquid Potpourri: Filling your house with the smell of nutmeg or pine for the holidays may seem inviting—but if you’re partial to heating your scented oils in a simmer pot, know that they can cause serious harm to your cat; even a few licks can result in severe chemical burns in the mouth, fever, difficulty breathing, and tremors. Dogs aren’t as sensitive, but it’s still better to be safe than sorry—so scent your home with a non-toxic candle kept safely out of kitty’s reach.

When it comes to the holidays, the best thing a pet owner can do is get educated on common household toxins and pet-proof your home accordingly. If you think your pet has been poisoned, contact your veterinarian or Pet Poison Helpline at 800-213-6680 with any questions or concerns.

Resources: Pet Poison Helpline (PPH) is an Animal Poison Control that provides treatment advice and recommendations relating to exposures to potential dangerous plants, products, medications, and substances, to veterinarians, veterinary staff and pet owners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Please be aware there is a $35.00/per case consultation fee. Pet Poison Helpline is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Helpline number is 1-800-213-6680.

For further information regarding services, visit the PPH website at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

What do they do home alone all day?

Do you think you know what your cat does all day while you're at work? Nestle Purina PetCare's Friskies researchers arranged for 50 pet cats to wear cameras on their collars and take a photo every 15 minutes.

Surprisingly, only 6 percent of their time was spent sleeping. The cats spent 22 percent of their time looking out of windows, 12 percent interacting with other pets, 8 percent climbing on furniture. Cats spent about 6 percent of their day looking at TV or computers, and 6 percent hanging out under tables. They spent about 5 percent for playing with toys and 4 percent eating.

Surprised?

Source

Cat food recalled over thiamine deficiency Select bags of Premium Edge could lead to gastrointestinal problems

WASHINGTON - Diamond Pet Foods recalled select bags of dry cat food Tuesday after 21 reports of health problems in cats.

Select bags of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball could lead to gastrointestinal or neurological problems for cats, because they do not contain enough thiamine, an essential nutrient for cats.

If cats fed these foods have no other source of nutrition, they could develop thiamine deficiency. If untreated, this disorder could result in death.

Initial symptoms of thiamine deficiency include decreased appetite, salivation, vomiting and weight loss. Later, neurological problems could develop including, bending the neck toward the floor, wobbly walking, circling, falling and seizures.

The company has confirmed 21 cases of thiamine deficiency in New York and Pennsylvania.

The recalled bags of food were distributed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

For a full refund, consumers can return the recalled cat food to the place it was purchased. For more information call 800-977-8797

Source