Author: mom

Outbreak of canine parvovirus : Los Angeles County

Outbreak of canine parvovirus : Los Angeles County
According to the county Department of Animal Care and Control, 162 cases of parvovirus have been reported in Los Angeles County this year [2014], with 70 of them coming from Lancaster and Palmdale alone. Half of these cases were in the April, puppies were mostly affected.

Although the disease is most commonly seen in young puppies, parvovirus can affect unvaccinated dogs of any age. All county
residents are urged to keep puppies and dogs safe by not letting them outside of your fenced yard until they have received their
vaccinations and are protected from the virus. “In springtime, you get a lot of newborns during that time and there’s an increase in susceptible hosts,” Maria Sabio-Solacito, the head veterinarian for animal care and control tells LA Times. Continue reading Outbreak of canine parvovirus : Los Angeles County

FDA Approves First Oral Drug for Fleas and Ticks in Dogs with Three Month Duration

Approval marks second animal drug approval under collaborative initiative with Canada

June 3, 2014

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) announced today the approval of BRAVECTO (fluralaner) Chewable Tablets for Dogs, the first oral flea and tick medication that lasts up to 12 weeks. The drug treats and prevents fleas for 12 weeks; treats and controls three types of ticks—the brown dog tick, American dog tick and deer tick—for 12 weeks; and treats and controls the lone star tick for 8 weeks.

The approval of BRAVECTO is in cooperation with Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate (VDD), under the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC) joint initiative which aims to better align the approval process for these products. While maintaining safety standards, the RCC is intended to speed access to products, eliminate duplication, and reduce regulatory obstacles that can slow trade and investment opportunities as well as add costs to manufacturers and consumers. Under this initiative, FDA and VDD allow simultaneous submissions and collaborative reviews where possible, while maintaining each country’s right to decide whether or not products will be approved for its market.

The product is being marketed by Intervet Inc. and requires a valid prescription from a veterinarian for its use.

Lamb Crunchys Dog Treats Recalled

Los Angeles treat manufacturer Pet Center Inc. has voluntarily recalled a limited number of 3-ounce bags of Lamb Crunchys because of potential salmonella contamination.

The dog treats were distributed in California, Colorado, Washington state and Wisconsin through the Gelson’s Market chain and three wholesalers: General Pet Supply, Nor-Sky Pet Supply Distributors and Independent Pet Supply.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture detected salmonella in a random sample, the manufacturer reported.

No pet or human illnesses have been linked to Lamb Crunchys, which are made from dehydrated lamb lungs. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may exhibit similar symptoms.

The U.S.-made treats come in 3-ounce, 8-ounce and 1-pound bags, but only the smallest size is affected. The recalled bags show the UPC number 727348200038 and a date code of 122015.

Any of the recalled treats may be returned to the place of purchase for a refund. The company is fielding questions at 800-390-0575 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pacific time Monday through Friday.

Science Diet Recall

Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls 62 Bags of “Science
Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™” Dry Dog Food in California,
Hawaii and Nevada Because of Potential Health Risk

Contact
Consumer:
1-800-445-5777
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 2, 2014 – Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. of Topeka, KS is voluntarily recalling 62 bags of Science Diet® Adult Small & Toy Breed™ dry dog food as they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella. The suspect product, part of a single production run, was distributed to 17 veterinary clinic and pet store customers in California, Hawaii and Nevada between April 24 and May 13, 2014. Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

Healthy people infected with Salmonella should monitor themselves for some or all of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever. Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers. Continue reading Science Diet Recall

Top 10 reasons for Vet visits

from VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance)

Top Dog Conditions

1. Skin Allergies

2. Ear Infection

3. Non-cancerous Skin Mass

4. Skin Infection

5. Arthritis

6. Upset Stomach/Vomiting

7. Intestinal Upset/Diarrhea

8. Periodontitis/Dental Disease

9. Bladder or Urinary Tract Disease

10. Soft Tissue Trauma (Bruise or Contusion)

Attentiveness of Dogs

Lifespan development of attentiveness in domestic dogs: drawing parallels with humans
Lisa J. Wallis1,2*, Friederike Range1, Corsin A. Müller1,2, Samuel Serisier3, Ludwig Huber1 and Zsófia Virányi1
Frontiers in Psychology
Attention is pivotal to consciousness, perception, cognition, and working memory in all mammals, and therefore changes in attention over the lifespan are likely to influence development and aging of all of these functions. Due to their evolutionary and developmental history, the dog is being recognized as an important species for modeling human healthspan, aging and associated diseases. In this study, we investigated the normal lifespan development of attentiveness of pet dogs in naturalistic situations, and compared the resulting cross-sectional developmental trajectories with data from previous studies in humans. We tested a sample of 145 Border collies (6 months to 14 years) with humans and objects or food as attention attractors, in order to assess their attentional capture, sustained and selective attention, and sensorimotor abilities. Our results reveal differences in task relevance in sustained attentional performance when watching a human or a moving object, which may be explained by life-long learning processes involving such stimuli. During task switching we found that dogs’ selective attention and sensorimotor abilities showed differences between age groups, with performance peaking at middle age. Dogs’ sensorimotor abilities showed a quadratic distribution with age and were correlated with selective attention performance. Our results support the hypothesis that the development and senescence of sensorimotor and attentional control may be fundamentally interrelated. Additionally, attentional capture, sustained attention, and sensorimotor control developmental trajectories paralleled those found in humans. Given that the development of attention is similar across humans and dogs, we propose that the same regulatory mechanisms are likely to be present in both species. Finally, this cross-sectional study provides the first description of age group changes in attention over the lifespan of pet dogs.