As the holidays approach and our spirits rise, our pets sense the excitement too.  This time of year can be filled with fun, family, friends...and also many tempting, but dangerous, things for our four-legged friends.  There are a number of things that concerned pet owners should know to keep their pets safe during the holiday season, and all winter long.

The holidays for many people involve lots of decorating, baking, and gift giving, but these things can turn out hazardous for our pets.  Many of our festive plants such as mistletoe, holly, and Christmas cactus are poisonous to animals. 

Poinsettias and Christmas trees, although not poisonous, can cause stomach upset if ingested.  Decorations such as tinsel, string, tree lights, ornaments, liquid potpourris, and artificial snow can be quite intriguing to pets, but may cause them lots of problems if eaten, chewed on, or tangled in.

Throughout the holiday season, kitchens are filled with goodies, but beware...chocolate, bread dough, alcohol, avocado, coffee, garlic, grapes, raisins, macadamia nuts, onions, salts, and moldy or spoiled foods are all potentially toxic to pets!  Keep all food stored away, and be sure to put the garbage in inaccessible containers.

Wrapped presents look great under the tree, but be aware that your pet may try to tear them up or eat part of them while you are not watching.  Even if your pet has been perfect in the past, keep in mind that this time of year is very busy for people.  Pets that don't receive their normal amount of attention and activity will find other ways to occupy their time. 

Despite all the necessary precautions, the holidays are a wonderful time for bonding.  Nothing is more relaxing than curling up on the couch in front of the Christmas tree with a purring cat or sleeping dog. 

By keeping them safe and warm, your pets will be able to enjoy the holidays as much as you do.  In fact, having them around seems to make the season even more enjoyable and the winter more tolerable!  

Bird Flu - What You Need To Know                 by, Dr. Kim Ammann

All the recent news reports have us pretty worried about bird flu.  Am I going to catch it?  Is it going to be a huge pandemic?  Is my pet bird at risk?  Is there a vaccine?  Can I do anything to prevent it?

Let me summarize what we know about bird flu, and then help you understand just what the risk to your pet birds might be.

Avian Influenza is not a new disease.  The poultry industry has been dealing with it for decades, in various forms.  It is a very important disease in that industry due to the high losses that can be incurred when a flock becomes infected.

There are many forms of avian influenza.  Some forms cause only mild disease, and only certain types affect humans.  The flu that has us worried is a Type A flu virus that has been classified as an H5N1 virus.  The numbers and letters refer to the identifying surface proteins that make it unique from other avian flu strains.

Flu viruses typically start as a low pathogenicity form, causing mild or no symptoms.  The virus can mutate into a high pathogenicity (high path) form which can cause severe disease and death. 

Waterfowl are carriers of low path forms, showing no symptoms themselves, but capable of spreading disease to other non-infected birds.  When a new bird species becomes infected, the virus can mutate to the high path form.  To date, the H5N1 influenza virus has been found in 188 species of birds.

Although the numbers change often, 63 people in the world have been confirmed as dying from H5N1 avian flu.  They were from Asian countries where intimate contact with raw poultry products is more common.  By this, I mean consumption of raw chickens or their blood, or extremely poor sanitation and exposure to infected chickens.

None of the human victims have been workers in the poultry industry, despite the massive slaughters of poultry in the efforts to control the disease in these countries.

There has not been a single confirmed case of H5N1  virus in North America.  The virus has shown up in various Asian countries and continues to show up in new areas of these countries, as well as Romania and Turkey.  Millions of chickens have been slaughtered in these areas in an effort to control the spread of the disease.

Migratory birds have been suspected of spreading the disease as they become exposed to poultry housed outdoors and then continue on migratory pathways, but this theory has not been proven yet.  Most recently, the spread has been linked to the railway transportation of poultry species and is suspected of being linked to the illegal transportation of fighting chickens which are carrying the disease.

Humans are currently only at risk of developing disease if they have intimate contact with the virus.  Eating raw meat or blood from infected birds has been proven to have caused human deaths.  To date, there has not been a single human to human transmission of the disease.

This is the biggest fear: that a human with a different influenza virus will become infected with the H5N1 virus at the same time, which will mutate into a new virus capable of spreading human to human.  This would be the pandemic we all fear could infect and cause death in large numbers of people.  Currently, the death rate from H5N1 is 50%, in a wide range of ages.

There is no vaccine for H5N1 virus, either in humans or birds.  For now, we wait and carefully watch what is happening in other countries.  The virus has not been found in North America.

You can protect yourself and your loved feathered ones by taking some common sense precautions:
  1. Avoid ingesting raw poultry meat, blood, or feces.
  2. Do not mix valuable birds (raptors, psitticines, or others) with poultry species.
  3. Monitor the reports on reputable websites of the outbreaks of H5N1 virus.  
      Staying informed is your best defense.
  4. If you travel to Asia, stay out of open-air markets and other 
      places where poultry species are found.  Use good hygiene when visiting there.
  5. Do NOT vaccinate your pet birds with any related avian influenza vaccine,
      because they will then have a titer for avian influenza and would be among the
      first euthanized in the event of an outbreak here.

Excellent websites for up to date information include:
www.oie.int  Office of International Animal Health
www.promed.org  Promed
www.fao.org  Food & Agriculture Organization
www.who.org  World Health Organization

 

During the month of October, Carver Lake Veterinary Center's team cared for 7  special puppies.  Hurricane Katrina left these puppies homeless, hungry, and sick.  We had the pleasure of taking these puppies under our wing and helping them get healthy.

Many of us at Carver Lake Veterinary Center wanted to reach out to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.  It was hard to watch people leaving their beloved animals behind, as they hurried to safety.  It made us wonder how we would react  if a disaster struck our community. 

Dr. Hunter took action right away by donating veterinary supplies to the animal relief organizations.  She also volunteered her time, clinic, and staff to support some of the animals being rescued from the South. 

Nancy, from the Aussie Rescue of Minnesota was one of the brave individuals who made the journey to New Orleans to give a helping hand.  While there, she met and became responsible for a litter of abandoned pups.  She brought all 7 puppies back to MN with the goal of getting them healthy and into good loving homes.  When the puppies started sneezing and snuffling, Nancy contacted Dr Hunter who welcomed them with open arms.  

The puppies were here at Carver Lake Veterinary Center for 2 weeks.  During that time we treated the puppies for respiratory infections, parasitic infections, and neutered and spayed them.  Teresa, one of our vet assistants, spent many hours making sure they got plenty of play time and love. 

After the 2 week retreat, they were happy, healthy puppies.  Nancy had some homes already lined up for her furry little friends and was pleased that they could start their new lives feeling good.  

These puppies remind us that although we don't hear about hurricane Katrina very much anymore, animal rescue organizations are still looking for volunteers to help with the many abandoned animals.  If you'd like to contact Nancy from the Aussie Rescue of MN, you can reach her at 763-441-4377.   

It is a good idea to have a disaster plan for your family and pets.The following article will give you good information on setting up a disaster plan for your pet.  Being prepared for a disaster can make the situation less stressful and can ultimately save your pet's life.

Our hearts go out to all the homeless animals and their families that were separated by Hurricane Katrina.  We hope that the 7 puppies we cared for and the many other critters effected by Katrina continue to recover and find safe homes.

Disaster Preparedness for Your Pet

Here in the Midwest we feel pretty safe.  We don't have to worry about hurricanes or earth quakes.  Without such natural disasters many people feel comfortable that their family and pets will not ever have to evacuate for a natural disaster.

Recently in Iowa tornadoes tore apart over a dozen homes in one town.  Not long ago, people right here in Woodbury had to evacuate due to heavy rains.  Natural disasters do occur here and it pays to be prepared to keep your family and pets safe during this time.

The first thing to do is create an evacuation plan.  Arrange for somewhere to go and make sure ahead of time that they will welcome your pets.  Don't wait until the last minute to evacuate.  If you wait to be evacuated by emergency officials you may be told to leave your pet behind.

Always take your pet when you evacuate, even if you think it will only be for a couple hours.  Once you leave there is no way of knowing how long you will be kept away.  You may not be able to get back to them for quite some time.

Secondly, you should create a disaster kit for pets.  This should include the following items in easy to carry, water tight containers...
  -Medications 
  -Pet First Aid Kit
  -Medical Records, including vet records and microchip info
  -Sturdy leashes, harness, and carriers to transport animals
  -Current photos and descriptions of pets to prove they are  
   yours if you get separated
  -Food and water for at least 3 days
  -Bowls, litter boxes, litter, and a manual can opener
  -Info about medical and behavioral conditions, as well as the
   phone number of your veterinarian in case you get
   separated.
  -Toys and bedding if you have room

Make sure your pets also have on identification tags.  Unfortunately many pets tend to lose their tags and collars when lost.  The best thing you can do for them is to microchip them.  A microchip is a permanent form of identification that is implanted under their skin.

Preparing for disasters is like having insurance.  You hope you never have to use it, but are sure glad you have it when you do.  Don't let your pets become victims of natural disasters.  By preparing ahead of time you can assure that your pets remain safe during these unexpected times.

For more information on disaster preparedness please visit...
www.hsus.org

For more information on microchips please visit...
www.akccar.org