Canine Rabies Eradicated

Great news about canine rabies from ABC News:

“WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Federal health experts declared a small victory against a fatal and untreatable virus on Friday, saying canine rabies has disappeared from the United States. While dogs may still become infected from raccoons, skunks or bats, they will not catch dog-specific rabies from another dog, the Atlanta-based U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.”

While other types of rabies exist, it looks like canine rabies may be a thing of the past.  Whew!

Food Safety Tips

CNN.com posted some safety tips for dog food, in light of the tainted food that has been going around recently:

• Check all the store-bought foods you are feeding your pets against a comprehensive list of recalled food products. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s list is updated frequently and sorted by animal type and brand.

• Get rid of any foods found on the list; you can find proper methods for disposal from the pet food manufacturer. As a precaution, the American Society for the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals urges pet owners on its Web site not to feed animals any wet or dry food items that contain the ingredients wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate. The FDA found melamine “in samples of pet food and in the wheat gluten used as an ingredient in the pet food.”

• Be on the look out for symptoms. If your pet has ingested contaminated food, some general symptoms are loss of appetite, vomiting and diarrhea. In the case of the pet food recalls this past spring, the melamine “affected the urinary system, causing dysfunction of the kidneys,” says Dr. Roger Mahr, veterinarian and past president of the American Veterinary Medical Association. “The symptoms that came with that were increased urination, drinking excessive water, lethargy and dehydration.” Mahr says that any of these symptoms is enough reason to contact your veterinarian.

Homemade food may be an option, but I’m not sure if I want to subject my dog to my cooking!

“Operation Double Trouble”

A story about a pair of crime-fighting dogs who sniffed out illegal DVD’s, from MSNBC.com:

“Malaysia gave a hero’s send-off Monday to Lucky and Flo, honoring the two DVD-sniffing dogs with medals as they ended a six-month assignment that netted 1.6 million illegal movie discs.  The two black Labradors looked puzzled when a multitude of press photographers’ flash bulbs went off as Malaysia’s deputy trade minister S. Veerasingham placed medals around their necks.”

Dogs and their amazing noses…

Deadly Virus

Some troubling news from Action 3 News in Nebraska:

“Vets around the Metro are worried about a virus attacking dogs right in their own backyards….Leptospirosis. It’s a disease that virtually disappeared decades ago. It targeted hunting dogs because they came into contact with wildlife. Now vets say a new strain is hurting backyard dogs….the disease sneaks up on pets, starting with flu like symptoms, then attacking their kidneys and livers.”

Please be careful and watch your dogs for symptoms.

“Rent-a-Dog” Controversy

According to this news report, there has been some criticism of the “rent-a-dog” concept I mentioned several posts ago:

“The Humane Society of the United States, however, is critical of the concept of renting a pet for the day. While it may be well intentioned, animal advocates say FlexPetz is not likely to benefit the overall welfare of the dogs they rent.”

Years ago, before I had a dog, I remember walking my friend’s dog a couple times and I really looked forward to being asked to walk her again.  If you are not a dog owner but have a friend or family member who does, maybe one solution is to volunteer to watch them from time to time.  But this company was probably conceived for those who don’t have access to dogs.  In the end, however, the most important thing is the welfare of the dogs.  We’ll see how this plays out.

Flexible Pet Ownership

A company called “FlexPetz” is offering customers a unique service where they can purchase the chance to spend time with a dog.  From the website:

“The concept of FLEXPETZ originated with a group of dogs lovers who sadly accepted that they could not provide a dog with the full-time care and attention that goes along with responsible dog ownership”

Sounds like a pretty interesting idea.  I take pet ownership for granted because I own a dog, but for those who love dogs yet for some reason are unable to own one, this is an interesting option.  Canine companionshp is always good for the human soul.  I wonder how the dogs like it.

Happy Belated Take Your Dog To Work Day

I can’t believe I missed this one but yesterday June 22, was “Take Your Dog to Work Day.”  A group called Pet Sitters International seems to be the organization behind this event.  I had no idea that pet sitters had an organization like that. 

The Dog Blog

I’ve been wondering what to do about this site.  Every blog needs its niche to be relevant and I’ve decided that my niche will be to blog about all things dog. There are tons of other sites about dogs, but mine will be the funkiest.  We’ll see how this goes.