Parvo Redux—Good News?

There is a local, excellent, training facility in Seattle called Ahimsa Dog Training. The owner, Grisha Stewart, posted a recent update on the parvo outbreak in this area. She spoke with one of the vets at ACCES, an emergency veterinary clinic in the region. She quotes:

He [the vet] mentioned that the increase in cases was “significant, but it is not an epidemic.” The dogs who were sick were all treated and survived, and they seemed to have an incomplete vaccination history. So the vaccination probably would have protected them.

The good news is that it does not appear to be a new strain, although they are sending the culture out for testing. The number of cases has dropped back down to normal.

You can read more about it here.  Stewart's focus is on her training facility and the health of your puppy—good information wherever you live.

More on the Parvo Outbreak

The paper published another story. It seems that the preponderance of cases have been seen in young dogs, pups really, who have not received their full round of shots. My vet has seen it in young dogs who have received their initial shots (complete?) and their first booster. I think the comment at the end of the article says a lot—parents skeptical about vaccinating their children have transferred that same concern to their dogs. I know I feel "vaccine wary," but continue to have Bella receive all her shots.

The article also said:

"[T]he informal selling and giving of dogs through Craigslist has "definitely" increased the rate of unvaccinated puppies. If there isn't paper documentation that a puppy has been vaccinated, new owners should assume the dog needs to be inoculated."

I am skeptical of dog parks anyway. I've seen too many incidents of people who bring dogs, but do not monitor their behavior (dog fights) nor do they pick up after them (disease). I am leery of dogs who may not have been vaccinated spreading disease, not to mention fleas. Those reasons, combined with the fact that Bella only wants to chase a ball (versus play with other dogs), means we never go.

What is the Difference in Similar Drugs?

I was with my niece today who is a temporarily retired vet tech. I was talking to her about the drugs I have for Bella for Mexico—Trifexis and Frontline Plus—and she asked where I got the Frontline. Costco. Her take was that is was more efficacious to buy via the vet for the same reason my vet mentioned. Her drugs are guaranteed and trackable from the manufacturer. Costco's are not. I don't know that for sure and need to check with Costco to verify.

She also said before she left her clinic (to become a full-time mom), they were seeing many dogs for whom Frontline was no longer effective. Hm. Very interesting. I'll have to check with my vet about that. My niece recommended using Advantix.

So it got me to wondering, what is the difference in these products? I came upon an interesting website that spelled it out. If you're curious, take a peek. I think it's worth it.

Threat of Parvo Closes Local Dog Parks

Last night on the news was an entirely too short of a clip about a nearby city closing its dog parks because of a recent spike in parvo virus. For those of us with dogs—who happened to watch the news—this was a high alert. I recall last year in Baja, the family from whom we rented our house, nearly lost their dog to parvo. Luckily it recovered. However, that didn't stop me from bleaching the tile floors after they left (sans dog) from visiting us. Parvo can be found in the ground, on shoes and on the clothes of owners. The virus can survive not just days, but up to two years in favorable conditions. I didn't want Bella near it, despite the fact she's had her shots.

The city earns my applauds for being proactive and closing their dog parks. It seems vets were aware of this recent local uptick and unconfirmed reports had been linked to the parks. Parvo is shed via a dog's bowel movement and can still be present two to three weeks post exposure.  Just because you dog is vaccinated, doesn't mean he is completely off the hook either. An article in Whole Dog Journal states that even vaccinated dogs may contract the disease, although this is not normal.

Unfortunately symptoms of a parvo infection begin no differently than a myriad of other dog ailments: vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and loss of appetite.

PAWPRINT: This just in from Bella's vet:

We wanted to make sure all of our clients know that there is currently a community wide outbreak of Parvoviral Gastroenteritis/Parvovirus in dogs.  There has been a sharp increase in cases of Parvovirus in the past few weeks and an increase overall in 2012 compared to 2011.  

Puppies are most susceptible to Parvovirus and most die unless they are treated with aggressive medical care.  

With proper medical care, 90% of puppies (and almost all adult dogs) will survive, but treatment is costly ($2,000-$7,000) and many dogs require hospitalization in a 24 hour critical care hospital for 6-8 days.

We are especially concerned that several recent cases in our area have been in adult dogs and well vaccinated dogs.  (My emphasis.)

It is critical to ensure that your dog is current on his or her Parvovirus vaccination!  Parvovirus is part of the DHPP vaccine.  The DHPP vaccine should be given every 3-4 weeks to puppies until they are 16 weeks old, boosted 1 year later, and then boosted every 3 years (or less often if vaccine titers have been performed).  Please contact us to check on the status of your dog's DHPP vaccine and to discuss whether a booster or a vaccine titer may be indicated.  We are especially concerned about our dog patients who are less than 2 years of age, but all dogs may be vulnerable.  

Signs of Parvovirus include decreased appetite, decreased energy, vomiting, diarrhea, and bloody diarrhea.   

PAWPRINT 2: I stopped by the vet's today and she said the dogs that had contracted parvo were young, but not puppies, who had received their puppy shot and first booster. She didn't know why the uptick in parvo cases. I speculate here, but hope it isn't that there is a strain out there resistant to the vaccine!

Healthy Girl!

One healthy, happy girl-dog.

A quick note to say my B-girl is healthy again! I am thrilled—and I'm sure, so is she. Swelling was almost completely gone by early last week. (Only a mother would have noticed!) Her energy is back and this morning was the last of her mild-mannered diet. I had been working her kibble back in throughout the week. She's doing very, very well. Her latest stool sample came back clean, no coccidia and done without that suspect, face-swelling drug, Albon. Yahoo!

LA Votes for Rescued Dogs

I came across this article , (published 7:35 p.m., Thursday, November 1, 2012) in the San Francisco Chronicle. The Los Angeles city council recently voted to require pet stores to sell only rescued animals. It was a vote precipitated by the overpopulation and high euthanasia rate at local area shelters. A group called Best Friends has been working for the last couple of years with interested community and governmental figures to enact this. Yahoo LA!

The article states:

“More than 70,000 animals are euthanized in Los Angeles city and county shelters every year—at taxpayer expense,” said [Elizabeth] Oreck, [national manager of Best Friends puppy mill initiatives]. “To continue importing puppies and kittens from mills in other states while we are killing the surplus that are already filling our shelters simply doesn't make sense. Today, Los Angeles took a reasonable and progressive step to addressing these issues in our city.”

[T]he ordinance will not affect responsible, hobby breeders, who will remain a source of purebred animals for those who are not able to find the purebred of their choice through shelters, purebred rescue groups or online databases such as Petfinder.com.

“We are witnessing a cultural shift that comes from true grassroots advocacy in action. It is only a matter of time before there will be very few places where one will be able to walk into a pet store and purchase an animal from a puppy or kitten mill."

Another step forward for animals! The Best Friends website lists several different ways you can become involved (via donation, volunteering or taking political action) to make positive changes in your community.

It's Not Over Yet—Drugs, Drugs, Drugs

Bella was sick again last night. Needless to say, I feel helpless. I can't ask her what's wrong; what I am giving her (medications), I can only hope are aiding. The vet took her off the Albon for the coccidia. Some of its side effects are rashes and itching.

I spoke with the Saturday fill-in vet this morning and asked why I must continue giving her drugs for pancreatitis when coccidia was diagnosed. She was great. She said that though the blood test was negative for pancreatitis, it is not definitive; only an ultrasound would undeniably confirm...and of course we don't want to go that route at this point.

My question was why continue the pancreatitis drugs when we're discontinuing the drug for coccidia? Aren't we supposed to be concerned about the latter? The vet said if Bella's gut gets regulated, the coccidia will take care of itself. The Metronidazole is an antibacterial/antiprotozoal which will calm her stomach. Sucralfate is used to treat and prevent stomach problems caused by other drugs as well as irritations in the intestines and stomach. The Proviable is a probiotic that will help re-establish intestinal health. The Benadryl is to be given for one more day.

She's to continue with the I/D diet for two weeks. Poor girl...at least the facial swelling is diminishing.

Enough with the Vet!

No peace. While I'm shoveling pills down Bella's throat for a balanced, healthy gut, she pulls a winger on me. Somehow, somewhere on our walk today she was bitten/stung by an insect. It started around her eye. I noticed the tissue was swollen and she was itching, scratching, dragging her face across everything. It spread to her other eye, then down her muzzle and seemed to settle in her jowls or salivary glands. Now Bella has some pretty impressive jowls that produce, with little provocation, enormous amounts of drool. Those jowls are now huge, beefy and solid. She looks like Jabba the Hutt.

I gave her a couple of Benadryls to no affect and was concerned about the rapid inflammation. We are very lucky to a great 24-hour, emergency vet clinic (Acces) not too far away, so we trundled her up there. Because of the drugs she is taking for the parasites, they chose not to give her a steroid injection that would have sped the loss in swelling. None the less, they did inject her with Benadryl. Still, an healthy hour later, I see no relief. Her personality, however, is intact. The minute we got home, she got her ball and asked to play. A good sign.

Good Use of Facebook

A Facebook page has been set up for found and lost animals because of Hurricane Sandy. What a great resource for reconnecting! Remember to have a current picture of you with your pet(s) to authenticate ownership.

Pancreatitis or Coccidiosis?

Bella was very sick on Sunday, throwing up many, many times. She was lethargic all day and most of Monday with horrible diarrhea, but no more vomiting. Tuesday, she was a tad spunkier, but still not normal and her stools, liquid. Into the vet we went and left, one hefty bill later, with drugs to treat pancreatitis. Blood was taken to verify, but the vet felt all her symptoms pointed in that direction and she wanted to get on top of it immediately. Bella had eaten bird suet as evidenced by all the seeds that run through her and the vet felt the richness of the suet might have precipitated pancreatitis.

The results came back today. Nope. Not the big "P" which I am very happy to report! However, she does have coccidiosis which is common in puppies, but not in older dogs. (Does a three year-old lab mix still constitute a puppy?) Bella's intestines seem quite susceptible to parasites. Many of our vet visits have been because of something she consumed.

So it is back to the vet we go for more drugs, this time Albon (sulfadimethoxine). She is already taking Metronidazole, Sucralfate, and Proviable not to mention several days of canned Hill's Prescription I/D for gastrointestinal fortification! In 24 hours, her improvement has been remarkable.

Are YOU Ready?

With Hurricane Sandy wrecking havoc on the east coast of the US, it isn't surprising to see a glut of information about what to do with your pet(s) if you have to evacuate. This is a reminder for me also as I have a traveling bag for Bella, but still lack a crate.

My excuse? She's a big girl and needs a big crate—where would I store it? But when an emergency happens (and there is no area in this country that isn't plagued by recurring natural disasters), you won't have the time to prepare, nor can you guarantee you'll be thinking logically in a panic situation. Being prepared is the only way to safely care for your pet in a time of need. Although Hurricane Katrina was a turning point in evacuating and sheltering with pets (more shelters now allow them to come with you), you are still required to have your dog sequestered in a crate.

I just read Pet Care During a Natural Disaster from the Sun Gazette.com. I always read these articles as there is usually something I haven't considered. In this article, author Dan Boyles, had a couple of really good ideas. One is to have two bags prepared: a large pet bag if you and your pet will be staying together at a known location and a smaller bag for immediate evacuation to points unknown. Of course the requisite items were covered: food, water, medications, toys. Another great idea is to have a picture of you and your dog together. I always carry a picture of Bella in her bag, but the author says a picture of you together helps corroborate ownership should you be separated.

I guess it's time to start scouring Craig's List for used, large dog crates. I don't want Bella left out in the cold if a disaster shakes our area.

Military Dogs Part 2

Once again military dogs are in the news. I am glad they are getting continued recognition for the part they play in the safety of our troops. It also corroborates the roll dogs have always played in our lives as part of a working team whether it's hunting, herding, protecting, aiding or just being there for us.

In this article, they tell of two men and their dogs, following their course. In one, the dog loses his partner and is currently being retrained with another. Considering the intensity of the work and trust in their partner (and here it could be either way—man to dog or dog to man), it is no wonder the transfer to a new trainer would be difficult for the dog. The second soldier loses his bomb-sniffing dog to a bomb, the loss devastating.

With your own dogs, in day-to-day life, think how intense the relationship is. The quirks, frustrations, trust, joy, training, bonding are all integral parts of the whole relationship. Then add a life and death situation. My heart goes out to the soldiers and the dogs who have lost their closest companion.

Military Dogs

And so as not to forget all the dogs serving bravely—medaled or not—please take a look at this great website: Rebecca's War Dog of the Week.  There are many heroes and heroines here!

Medal of Honor

I knew animals, on occasion, received a Medal of Honor for bravery, but hadn't heard anything regarding this in a while. Today I came across an article about a spaniel mix, Theo, who was recently awarded, posthumously, Britain's highest award for animal bravery. The Dickin Medal. (The medal is named after Mary Elizabeth Dickin (1870-1951) who was a pioneer in animal welfare advocacy. She founded PDSA—the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals—to aide sick and injured animals owned by the poor.) Here is a picture of Theo.

This medal was first awarded in 1943 and continues to this day. Lots of pigeons have been awarded which I think is rather nice (also horses and a cat). But the nicest part is that animals are being recognized for the important, strategic part they play in keeping us safe.

Oops!

In an attempt to add labels to posts to make it easier to find like-minded topics, I realize the order of the posts has become quite jumbled. Arg! I apologize for making sequential reading impossible! I think the error probably resides in the way I did it. So sorry!

Losing a Friend

A friend has a 10-year old lab whom Bella adores. Amber was a young pup when she befriended my previous dog, Lucy, and Bella and Amber have a similar relationship. Bella LOVES Amber. Amber thinks Bella is special, but sometimes a pain in the neck. TOO MUCH ENERGY! But each time they see each other, it's joyous for both of them.

Amber was recently diagnosed with Mast Cell Tumors. These are common skin tumors that can pop up anywhere, at any time and for Amber, this has been the case. Her owner has tried an experimental chemo therapy treatment that eradicated a set of tumors, but new tumors appeared in other locations. The new regime is a daily chemo pill and my friend says the only indication she has that Amber may not be feeling well is she seems a bit more tired. Whether this is factual or my friend is super sensitive is moot.

We haven't allowed the dogs together since the diagnosis as we were both concerned Bella's exuberance to see Amber might be too overwhelming for the old girl. But now, knowing Amber seems to be feeling okay, I want the dogs together for both of their sakes.

Low and behold, as the universe always provides, Patricia McConnell's recent two-part blog entry speaks to dealing with a dog's grief. I have never had more than one dog at a time, but I know from my sister that dogs most definitely grieve. She had two lab mixes and though one was substantially larger, he was definitely not the boss. When his "sister" died, Amos went into a long a profound grief, expressed by lack of energy and enthusiasm; no desire to eat; no inclination to interact. My sister said one day she was walking Amos when ahead of them appeared a black lab that looked like his old compatriot. For the first time in weeks, his ears perked, his tail went up, he picked up his step to get closer, but on a single sniff, his ears and tail drooped and he turned away.

I believe animals do grieve. I want Bella to be able to spend time with Amber while she is still here, and luckily my friend agrees.

Tricks & Commands

Our weather has been inordinately cold. For a full week, day time temperature have not cracked freezing. Even the office, which is normally the warmest room in the house because of the heat generated by the computer, is cold. It's sunny and beautiful outside, but I just don't have the clothes to stay comfortably warm outside for very long. This creates a puppy occupational hazard.

To combat bored puppy syndrome, I decided to work with her on different tricks and commands. There are two I'm concentrating on at present. The first is the command "out" so that whatever she has in her mouth she spits out. She is actually pretty good about it, but I want it to happen instantly. If Bella has something she really loves (her tennis ball) or something she really wants (food) in her mouth, spitting it out won't happen immediately. In the case of food, I may have to "dig" it out. Here's a great video showing an example. Now if I can get Bella to do it as quickly as Pip, I'm in luck!

The trick we're presently undertaking is weaving between my legs. At this point, with luring, she's doing great. Luring means you walk a dog incrementally through the steps by having them follow food or a toy. The holdup is our ability (or lack thereof) to maneuver our hands and treats effortlessly to get Bella moving smoothly. (We are finding ourselves not quite agile enough!) This will be great for later if I choose to take her through agility. Basically, you hold food between your legs with the dog facing you. Guide the dog in between your legs, sweeping your arm around the back side of your leg to the front. Transfer the treat quickly to the other hand and guide her through and around the other leg. Here's a good video showing the technique. Eventually we'll stop luring and work with hand gestures.

These are as good for Bella as they are for us and as always, if done correctly, she’s learning and mentally stimulated and we’re bonding. Gotta love that!

Quick Toothy Update

Bella was slowed down for several days post surgery. She didn't seem to mind the absence of toys...until two days ago and then it was a battle to keep things out of her mouth. No toys were available, but she raided our backyard wood pile several times and ran south, happily crunching through a plastic plant pot I was about to wash from transplanting veggies to a bigger container.

To keep the both of us sane, I decided it was time to ease dry food back into her diet and began reintroducing toys. None of her harder toys are available, but anything that is soft-edged is back in her toy basket. Her biggest joy? Her very-most-highly-obnoxious Good Cuz squeaky toy. This toy (she has two—I don't know what possessed me) has an awful, high-pitched squeak that she goes crazy over. She immediately de-limbed both of them which makes their bounce even more erratic (another selling point for Bella). We only allow her to have it for a couple of days as my husband and I turn into loonies from all the squeaking.

It is a joy to see her so happily jaw-boning again. You just can't keep a good chewer down!

Dogs versus Drugs

Anyone who truly loves their dog understands the benefit dogs provide for stress and healing. Growing up, my mother's mother lived with us after my father passed away. When my grandmother died at the ripe, old age of 103, we knew my mother would make it through her grief more easily because of her dog. When her dog died, our concern went way up. I don't mean that losing her mother wasn't traumatic; her mother, my grandmother, was one of the most wonderful people I know. But my siblings and I knew that being able to pat her dog's head, kiss her ears and rub her belly would be the best "medicine" my mom could have.

Dogs, beyond  family pets, have many different jobs—entertainers (movies, dock divers, etc.), sniffers (bombs, drugs, disease, etc.), helpers (disabled, blind, and so on) and now on another field, for soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A program, Paws for Purple Hearts, was started in California in 2006, to offer "therapeutic intervention for veterans and active-duty military personnel by teaching those with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to train service dogs for their comrades with combat-related physical disabilities."

A recent Smithsonian Magazine article said researchers have learned the benefit dogs have over drugs in helping veterans cope with the debilitating effects of PTSD. As stated in the July-August issue in the article, How Dogs can Help Veterans Overcome PTSD, author Chris Colin states:

The animals draw out even the most isolated personality, and having to praise the animals helps traumatized veterans overcome emotional numbness. Teaching the dogs service commands develops a patient’s ability to communicate, to be assertive but not aggressive, a distinction some struggle with. The dogs can also assuage the hypervigilance common in vets with PTSD. Some participants report they finally got some sleep knowing that a naturally alert soul was standing watch.

Not only do the soldiers training the dogs benefit from the dog's presence, but they also know they are helping other vets. There is a wonderful video that accompanies the story that further corroborates the value that the presence of a dog provides both to the training vet and the soldier receiving the service dog.

There is a petition available to sign asking the U.S. Senate to provide service dogs to vets with PTSD. Now that's good medicine! (I don't know if this was something incorporated into HR 1627 or is separate.)

PAWPRINT: Here is a lovely story about a vet suffering from PTSD who was reunited with the dog he worked with in Iraq.

PAWPRINT 2: Using dogs to aide soldiers is a big deal right now. Just recently the U.S. Senate passed bill HR 1627 that helps with some of the obstacles vets run into. Here's another story.

PAWPRINT 3: This post just isn't going away. I came across this article today (10/18/2012)on a military dog with PTSD. Luckily it found a good, supportive home. Now if we could just honor and care for all men, women and dogs suffering from this...

-----------------

UPDATE: This bit of news just came through our paper today.n The VA (Veterans Affairs) will no longer pay for service dogs for vets with mental disabilities such as PTSD.

Hiking!

I bought a new day pack for myself after 20 years of using a bomb-proof school back pack. I can't throw the old pack out...it really is impervious to wear and tear...but I can't get all I need into it. The new pack is a dream (Gregory Jade 28)—light weight, nice-sized compartments, and comfortable to wear. The purchase was prompted by my desire to do more hiking alone and therefore needing to carry more things for safety. I dug out Lucy's old dog pack and with some tweaking, it fits Bella! Huzzah! She can carry her own water!

The last two weekends have been gorgeous and provided the perfect weather for an outing.

Heading to the gap above the center of a snow field.

Sniffing who was here earlier.

I've noticed hiking alone with Bella makes her far more attentive to where I am than if we are with others. I think this is because she doesn't hear me talking, so is constantly stopping and waiting for me. I love this! Good dog, Bella!

I am also aware that if I follow her route through an iffy bit of trail, she invariably picks the easiest path. A third plus is though I am directionally challenged (I never hike without a compass and map), if I'm back-tracking and come to a confusing trail intersection, I wait for her to pick "our" trail. She's never wrong. With last girl-dog, Lucy, none of this was the case—not to mention a whistling marmot was her siren song to leap into the unknown and give chase. Not Ms. Bell. She stays close and on the trail.

Bella also prefers not to drink from a bowl, but directly from the water bottle. Also a plus! One less thing to carry! She is very good at capturing the dribble and wastes little, which was great for today's hike. The trail had excellent water flow in June when I hiked it with a friend, but next to none today.

I'm hoping we can get several more hikes under our belt before we head out with a friend for a several day back-packing adventure mid-fall. It's been many years since I've "over-nighted" and want to make sure I have the stamina to carry more weight. I will continue to load the new pack until eventually moving over to my large pack carrying 35 or more pounds.