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Dog Parks

After seeing the end results of some pretty horrific dogfights secondary to dog park visits I decided to share the California Veterinary Medical Association recommendations for dog park safety.  While dog parks can be fun they aren’t for every dog and they harbor some serious risks such as bites and exposure to infectious diseases.

   

The CVMA has the following recommendations for keeping your dog safe while visiting a dog park: 

• Make sure your dog’s vaccination status is current
• Make sure your dog is socialized and gets along well with other animals and people
• Keep a very close eye on your dog at all times
• Make sure small dogs and big dogs are separated
• Bring water for your dog to drink
• Have your veterinarian check your dog regularly for parasites
• Talk to your veterinarian about any precautions you should take with your dog

Some other things to consider

• Promptly pick up and properly dispose of any feces
• Don’t take your dog to the park when it’s sick or recovering from an illness

Zoonotic Diseases – An Introduction

Not many people are aware but veterinary medicine has a proud history and tradition of promoting and improving the health of not only animals but of humans as well.  Veterinarians receive an education in physiology and clinical science comparable to that of physicians but they also receive extensive training in comparative medicine.  We are educated in preventive medicine, population health, parasitology, zoonotic diseases, and epidemiology and not to mention we must be familiar with a multiple number of species.  Because of this training veterinarians have and continue to make significant contributions to the control of infectious diseases of humans.   

In one way or another all veterinarians regardless of their specialty are involved in protecting humans from diseases, in particular those transmitted between humans and animals.  These diseases are called zoonotic diseases.  According to the CDC approximately 75% of emerging infectious diseases affecting humans are of animal origin and approximately 60% of all human pathogens are zoonotic (http://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/).   I personally don’t like the term emerging disease because many of these diseases aren't necessarily new.  Therefore, the more correct term in my opinion for many of these diseases is re-emerging infectious diseases.  So why are we now seeing what appears to be an increase in infectious diseases?  The difference is that theses diseases now have the potential to cause worldwide epidemics.  The world has become much smaller and much more vulnerable to the spread of infectious diseases.  Another reason is changes in our environment including logging of forests, changes in the use of land, migration of people from rural to urban areas and improper disposal of waste.  Zoonotic diseases affect and kill hundreds of thousands of people especially in developing countries, even though most of them can be prevent.

Examples of zoonotic diseases classified according to their infectious agent include:

·      Parasites: Toxoplasmosis, Cysticercosis

·      Bacteria: Anthrax, Leptospirosis, Tularaemia

·      Fungi: Dermatophytoses, sporotrichosis

·      Viruses: Rabies, Hantvirus

·      Prion: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

Please don’t let this information scare you.  Throughout this blog we will cover various zoonotic diseases and ways to protect yourself, your family and pets from them.  And please remember pets provide many health benefits to humans; examples include decrease blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels.  They also can provide a great source of exercise.   Although pets can carry germs, it is important to know that you are more likely to get these germs from other sources than your pet.

“However secure and well-regulated civilized life may become, bacteria, Protozoa, viruses, infected fleas, lice, ticks, mosquitoes, and bedbugs will always lurk in the shadows ready to pounce when neglect, poverty, famine, or war lets down the defenses.  And even in normal times they prey on the weak, the very young and the very old, living along with us, in mysterious obscurity waiting their opportunities” –Hans Zinsser 1934”

“The microbe is nothing; the terrain, everything.” – Louis Pasteur 1822-1895

Antifreeze - Deadly Danger

It’s that time of the year when we need to be reminded of the toxic dangers of antifreeze for both dogs and cats.  Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, which is a colorless and odorless alcohol that has a sweet taste that animals are attracted to.  Just a few licks antifreeze can cause kidney failure and death.

Clinical signs of early ethylene glycol toxicity include:

• Drunken appearing (ataxia) gait
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Increased thirst
• Lethargy
• Coma

It’s extremely important that a veterinarian sees your pet as quickly as possible after ingestion or suspect ingestion of ethylene glycol.  

Prevention tips:

• Do not let your dog roam freely, especially in the garage
• Check your car for any leaks
• Keep antifreeze containers tightly closed and stored out of reach of pets
• If antifreeze is spilled make sure that it is thoroughly cleaned up
1. Use cat litter to absorb the liquid
2.  Clean up the area with rags
3.  Safely dispose of both the cat litter and rags
4.  Finally rinse the area with water 
• Never pour used antifreeze down storm drains, sinks, toilets or on the ground
  o   Wildlife can suffer from antifreeze poisoning too

There are now less toxic antifreeze alternatives to ethylene glycol available containing propylene glycol.  Although not entirely nontoxic propylene glycol is significantly less toxic and appears to be less tasty to animals.  Please look for these pet safe propylene-glycol antifreeze alternatives.

If you suspect your pet has consumed or might have consumed any toxic substance call your veterinarian and/or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control (888) 426-4435.