Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Does My Dog Need to Be Vaccinated for Canine Influenza?

Up until last week you did not have the option to be protected against this relatively new disease. The FDA gave conditional approval to Intervet-Shering Plough for a Canine Influenza vaccine on June 24Th.

Many of you may have never heard of this disease. It's only been around for about five years and the virus responsible was only identified in 2005. 

 

You might recall reports of deaths in dogs due to a mysterious respiratory infection. These reports started out in Florida in 2004 and spread up the East Coast the following year. At first it was thought that Bird Flu might be the culprit. Viruses have the ability to mutate slightly and become infective to other species. The Swine Flu scare is a great example. Swine flu spread from pigs to people and caused huge pandemic concerns this spring.

Cedar's Hygroma - Still a problem

You may remember that we did a story on Cedar, the English Mastiff and his hygroma back in May. As you may recall a hygroma is a fluid filled bursa that develops on the elbows of dogs, especially big dogs, as a result of constant pressure form getting up and down on hard surfaces. Not all dogs get them and most are not as severe as Cedar's.

Cedar's problem is complicated by the fact that his hygroma is ulcerated and open. It's like an open sore and our friends Mike and Ellie have been patiently bandaging and dressing the wound for weeks now. It does not look like it's getting much better.

 

I suggested that they purchase a Dog Legg adjustable padded bandage. They did get one and they have had mixed results. While the Dog Legg does a good job of padding the injury it also holds in the moisture from the wound and the result is a stinky mess. We are still using the padded bandage but the wound itself has to be changed daily.

Rescuing Abused Animals is a Big Job: These Guys Can Handle it!

If you Twitter, you know how many rescue sites there are on the net. At least, you know there are a whole LOT of rescue sites, and shelters, and such. Twitter is flooded with them, not the least of which is our own best buddy, Romeo the Cat.

It's sad, I think, that we need so many shelters and rescue sites, in addition to the Humane Society and local animal shelters. Why can't we just take care of our animals? Why can't we just accept that dogs and cats and pets are part of us - part of our families - part of the human experience? Well, I'm sure you can, and I know I can...but, apparently, not everybody else can.

It should be criminal. No, really. Not just a slap on the hand or a wag of the finger or a fine or a short jail term. It should be a felony and people who knowingly harm animals should be put away. IMHO

Well, the next time you see or think you know of an animal being abused, I know who you can call:

Help for Navajo Dogs

Yatehey. 

Just can't get those Navajo dogs out of my mind. We were stopped along the road by a flag man as we moved through the reservation a few days ago. There was a modest house off to the left and we counted ten dogs of all ages, types and sizes running around in the yard. "Navajo's sure love dogs," my wife exclaimed.

In fact they do love dogs. Dogs have been an important part of Dine culture as long as anyone can remember. Dogs pulling travois made the original move from Western Canada to the Southwest possible over a thousand years ago. When the Navajo ruled Dinetah with their huge herds of Spanish sheep, dogs were instrumental in keeping the herds safe from predators and in moving the herds from one pasture to another. Often dogs lived their entire lives among the sheep herds and new born pups would imprint on the woolies, leading to a lifetime of interdependence.

 

There is even a particular look to some Navajo dogs that some researchers believe may trace back to the long ago days of their creation story.

Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud - Dr Grace and Dr. Larry Talk Indoor Cats Live Longer

In this Scratchings & Sniffings Out Loud podcast with Dr. Larry and Dr. Grace, we discuss keeping your cat indoors. Frankly, as Dr. Larry says, indoor cats live longer - and they're safer from harm. As well as keeping smaller wildlife (like songbirdss) safe, keeping your cat indoors is not a punishment, it's a responsibility.

But, listen to the podcast and learn (you will also learn that cats, like dogs, need to be treated for fleas...).

Who Says Cats Don't Show Affection?

Whether or not cats show affection to their owners is a debate that seems to rage on and on. Those of us who have adorable, loving cats routinely defend the cat species as loving and attentive. Those who have only dogs, and have only met cats that are aloof, laugh at us and point fingers at the cats they know...who would never deign to sit upon a human lap.

Well, Tom and I spent 12 days in Colorado, returning home to Rochester, NY in the wee hours of the morning this past Saturday. (if this was a personal blog, I'd tell you about our not so great flight(s) home...but, that's for another blog - suffice it to say, fie on the airlines! Fie, fie, fie!)

Navajo Dogs

I've always felt you can measure the health of a people by how they treat their animals. The Navajo don't seem to be doing so well. 

We camped on the outskirts of Canyon de Chelly near Chinle Arizona for a night hoping to see some Ancestral Puebloan ruins like we saw last year at Chaco Canyon. We didn't see much of the canyon. You need a guide to go in and you pretty much have to go in jeep or some other four wheel drive vehicle.

 

We did see about a dozen stray dogs roaming the campground looking for scraps. They were all malnourished and at least three looked like they were nursing pups or had recently been nursing pups.

 

The Navajo ruled this part of the country for over 700 hundred years...

Bark in the Park - Greyhounds, Pugs, and Tiny

More good Bark in the Park video. Tom was busy moving around the Erie, CO event, capturing as much as he could. This shows the Greyhound Rescue folks, the Pug Rescue folks, and Tiny, a teeny, weeny, little poodle that gave everyone the "oohs" and "ahhs"...

In the opening clip you can see Chloe with Koa, and Miah with Twiggy (who is a bit hidden amidst all those other Greyhounds - she's the totally black one) and I'm there too, but I'm not telling you which one I am because Tom was not supposed to take picutres of me.

Does your local town or community hold dog events like this? We'd love to hear about it...and put video clips up for you. This Bark in the Park link seems to prove there are other areas doing the same thing. Everyone loves dog shows, even amateur dog shows, so we would love it if you'd share your content here.

Hey, speaking of dog shows...check out the Shine petblog in a couple of days - I have an interesting post on mixed breed dogs entering the AKC shows.

Summertime Puppy Fun in Colorado

One of the best parts of this visit to Erie, CO (where, as you read this, we are no longer) was watching Koa and Twiggy, the housedogs, play. My daughter was dog-sitting Koa, a mixed breed, and Twiggy, her Greyhound, couldn't have been happier.

To add a bit of background, Twiggy has been a handful. She suffers from separation anxiety and tends to find unacceptable things to do while the folks are out. Over the year of having her, starting from her truly puppy days, Chloe has figured out how to occupy Twiggy's time - leaving treats around the house for her to find, and using a large, hollow bone filled with peanut butter for her to gnaw. Yum!

While those tactics work (the crate thing didn't do it - the less said about the messes in the crate, the better), it seems that Twiggy really likes having a companion.

Bark in the Park - Competitions

You've seen me post on the Incredible Dog Challenge Purina sponsors around the country, the most recent being in San Diego. Well, during our trip here in Erie, Co, we got to experience a smaller version of the Incredible Dog Challenge...sort of.

At Bark in the Park, there were a number of interesting and fun events going on, including "treat toss" and "frisbee toss" and even a demonstration by scent tracking dogs (who followed the scent in my daughter's sneaker to find her way across the park - but really now, YOU could have found her from the scent in her sneaker! Don't tell her I said that...)

Luckily, we were there and got to see these family dogs do their thing. And, we got some video of it. Notice the outstanding performance of the Golden Lab at the end of our video. Personally, I think he's got talent. We weren't able to stick around and ask if he does this routinely, around the area...OR... if, maybe, he's going to try out for the Incredible Dog Challenge.

But, don't you think he should? I do! (Twiggy ran the 25 yard dash...and we think she won, but, again, we had to leave before they announced the winners; really, tho, she's a Greyhound and I did not see any other Greyhounds in the competition...so who do you think won? Yes, she was fast!)