June 9: Summer product cautions
I want to warn everyone to
be careful of any and all products used in your home
or yard if you have pets or kids.
Cocoa mulch smells
wonderful, but it is killing pets that ingest it.
Be careful what you spay your yard for pest or fleas,
check with your Vet or your nearest Ag person or
University. They are happy to tell you about
products not to use around pets. Clemson
U. is close to me and they are very helpful.
This time of the year, we
all go a little nuts with flea prevention, fly, and
wasp prevention, just know what you are putting down
or spraying. Make sure it is really good and dry
!!
I once had a customer pick
up her 12 week old toy poodle. I sat and
explained to her how dangerous many things can be to a
toy poodle. They are so small, they can not
fight off much. I told her to ask her Vet about
what flea control you use before doing anything. I
told her my advice was to keep the puppy at home, do
not take it public places, until she had seen her Vet.
I give a three business day time period for a buyer to
have a puppy checked by their Vet of choice.
This was a Sat morning. By Sat evening, I had a
phone call from her telling me the puppy was at our
local Dog ER and was not expected to make it. I
was stunned !! She said the puppy was having
seizures and the Vet (one I did not know) said I sold
her a puppy with Epilepsy. Now I knew that could
not be true. I have had that line for some time
and the puppy never had a seizure while it lived with
me. I called and spoke to the Vet, he just basically
told me the same thing and he didn't think the puppy
would pull through.
To say I was in shock is
certainly and understatement. I was crying and nearly
hysterical. I asked her to call me this next
morning after the Vet called to give an update.
She called told me the puppy made it through the night
and the seizures were slowing down. I
thought I would chat with her and see if I could get
any more details, like what did she feed the puppy?
Did she take the puppy anywhere? Well as
our conversation went on, she admitted to me, she
wanted to walk the puppy down her street for her
neighbors to see. I warn people about public
places with all my Poodles leaving me, but it is due
to how bad Parvo is here in the south.
We never get rid of it, our winters are not cold or
long enough.
I told her even with 3
vaccinations on the puppy she was taking a chance.
She then told me, her neighbor suggested putting OFF
on the puppy so it would not pick up fleas over the
weekend. The neighbor does this with her Great
Dane !
I insisted she call and
tell the Vet. The Vet said OFF would not have
caused this problem of seizures, still blaming the
breeder.
I called the OFF maker,
asking to speak to a Chemist. This gentleman was
so king and helpful. When I told him what I was
calling about, he was shocked and wanted to help.
He replied to me of course it would cause seizures in
a puppy so small and so young. I
asked him to call the Vet. I knew this Vet
would not take my word for it.
When the puppy was better,
I picked it up from the Vet. I refunded
this lady's money and felt she was too stupid to have
a puppy in the first place. If she isn't going to
listen when a breeder gives her good advice, then she
did not deserve a puppy.
By the way, I paid the Vet
bill too ! I did not want anyone to say, I
sold a puppy having seizures and stuck them with the
Vet bill.
Toy Poodles can have
seizures from two different causes I know about, low
blood sugar and epilepsy. I have not had toys
have seizures from either. I feed my toys more often.
I just wanted to write a
warning and to tell a story. Perhaps my story
will warn others not to use products not made for
dogs.
May 19: Obedience Training
To all those who are kind enough to read my "blogs."
I apologize for not keeping up. I have good days
and bad days, since my husband's passing. The part I
am finding so difficult is the total disappearance of
someone you loved and cared for for over 44 years.
It is like " poof" they are gone ! It
was so sudden and unexpected, no time to prepare.
I find myself thinking it is like the last 44 years of
my life did not happen. Then I look at my kids
and know he was here, they both have his nose.
I try to stay focus on having had 44 good years
with him. He was a good man !
Now for dog stuff !!
I would like to encourage
everyone who gets a new puppy, no matter what breed,
to get a good book on obedience. There are
many on the market and the ones with illustrations are
very helpful. They show you exactly what to do.
Learning basic commands,
sit, stay, come, and down will make your puppy a
better family member. When guess enter your
home(maybe not doggy people,) putting your puppy in a
down stay, will make their visit more enjoyable.
To me, Come
is the most important lessons. For a puppy to
out with you off leash and then ignore you when you
say, "come," can cost them him/her
their life.
I teach come by putting a
long lead or rope on their collar. Let them go
off investigating things, then say the puppy's
name along with come," Joey come!" If
he turns and looks at you like, "are you talking
to me?" Then pick the line up and roll it
in toward you as if you were rolling in a fish.
As the puppy reaches you, give him/her a great treat,
no dog food, a piece of weenie or cheese.
Something really tasty, just a small piece.
Then let him/her go off again, and repeat the process.
It will take a few times, but puppies are like
sponges, their brains are so eager to learn and please
you.
Sit is easy also, have the
puppy stand in front of you, you get on your knees or
sit, put your left hand with your fingers going
from side to side over the back at the hip area, where
the legs join into the body. Have a great treat
in your right hand right
at his nose, say, "Joey
sit," while saying this hold the treat at his
nose, but make his nose follow the treat up and back,
then as his nose goes up, his butt goes down. Once
again, as the nose goes up, the tail goes down, of
course say, "sit." then praise like
crazy and repeat 5 to 6 times.
Practice with a puppy for
short times maybe 5 minutes twice a day. Lots of
praise and love, never end a session on a down note,
always take a few seconds to play ball or just love on
them. No dog or child learns to do
anything OR trust anyone on a negative level. Love
can go so much further than fear.
Thank you for your
expressions of kindness. I know every person in
the world loses someone, but some of us take longer to
heal the hole in our hearts. Good people
are missed more than any one can imagine.
April 27: The truth
about Coccidia and a new treatment.
First I would like to say I
am sorry to be late with a new blog. Moms,
puppies and now running errands for myself, take a big
bite out of each day. My husband did so
much for me, now I realize how much he did help me.
I am going to write about a
subject most all breeders battle, Coccidia.
The first time I had experience with it was when I
purchased a puppy from another breeder. Being
stupid, after arriving I put the puppy to play with my
own puppies close to her age, then I discovered she
had loose stools. Upon taking her to the Vet I found
out she had coccidia. Of course the barn door
was wide open, she has spread it to other puppies.
Several had to be treated with Albon.
The thing about Coccidia it
will seem to be "cured," then flair up again
if the dog experiences any stress, such as sending to
a handler to be shown, breeder, or any other problem
to cause the dog to be stress. If they are
bred, upon nursing they pass the coccidia to their babies
and the entire cycle is at it again.
My honest friends admit to
having had problems with Coccidia, others deny it.
The old way of thinking by Vets would inform people
with new puppies they much have purchased a puppy from
a nasty environment. Here I would like to mention
killing it on the surface is really nearly impossible.
Clorox, cleaning products and even Ammonia can not
reach places where it lurks. Some cleaning
products are very dangerous to your dogs.
The short story is there is NO CURE for
Coccidia. You must treat and hold it at bay
until the dog builds up their own immunity.
A Doctor Bob Page
discovered a new treatment while working on
NeoPar Parvo. He also discovered a puppy
effected with coccidia will not utilize a vaccination
properly if they are experiencing a coccidia outbreak.
The point I want to make
here is an outbreak is not due to Filth or the fact a
breeder raises nasty puppies in a nasty facility.
This is old thinking and most Vets know now it is
a hard road for all breeders. We have done
nothing wrong to have coccidia show up in your
puppies. Usually puppies develop a natural
immunity to coccidia, but in puppies if untreated it
will over take the puppy and cause death.
Albon Suspension by Rx is
used as the best treatment.
I thought I would write
about Coccidia because most breeders have
been taught to be ashamed if they have it in the
kennel. I have seen many books on all
breeds mention Coccidia and then go on to say the
breeder is to be avoided. A breeder
can not prevent everything. Especially if their
dogs are being shown or shipped for breeder.
Sometimes they return home with it. My
experience was buying an affected puppy, and not keeping
her separate from others until I could check her
stool. She was my beginning and it
spread like wild fire.
It is parasite and has a 28
day life span.
A new treatment is being
worked on and I am certainly interested in
trying it. If anyone is interested in knowing
what the new treatment is, email me and I will give
you the contact info.
If you buy a puppy from a breeder
take the puppy to the Vet as soon as possible &
have the stool checked. You do not want to
get this parasite in your soil or passed to any
other dogs you may have at home.
With treatment puppies do
fine !
Hope this blog has
enlightened your view on coccidia.
March
12: New Rabies Requirements
Interesting reading and knowledge for those living in
these states -- Please see www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
.
February 19: Standard Girl
Today I am going to write a
blog on my own personal experience.
I produced a litter of
Standard puppies and placed a cream female with a lady
living in FL. When the puppies were near
2, she called and told me her girl had Juvenile Renal
Disease. I was upset to hear such a thing and
had no knowledge of anything behind her with
this problem. I asked her to please send me the
report from the Vet she had test her. I
never received anything from her. I called one more
time, left a message to please send me the report from
the Vet.
I would like to add here,
no matter how hard a good breeder tries, problems will
pop up from time to time. I did some checking on
litter mates and all were fine. My sister has one of
the puppies from this litter and she is fine too.
Then over a year later this
lady calls and says she have moved very close by me
now. She wants me to take this Standard girl
back NOW,
or she was headed to the pound ! I was shocked
and of course said I wanted my girl back.
I offered to meet her on the interstate and for some
reason that would not do. The next morning her
neighbor drove the standard girl to my home.
I again asked for the medical report. Finally,
one day I did receive it in the mail. I
took it to my Vet to interpret for me. He said her
levels did show mild JRD. The lady had provided
the Science Diet kidney food she had left over,
but I was never able to get her to eat it. She
would circle and smell the food, act like she was
hungry, but not eat it. This girl was VERY
thin.
My Vet suggested as low a
protein food as I could find. I was mixing 1/2
can of KD with Nutro for over weight dogs. The Nutro
was the lowest protein I could find, 14 %.
She has been eating that fine, in fact she loves it,
but I gave her nothing else. I was scared
to give her anything for fear it would damage her
kidneys.
I have had her now for 1
1/2 years and she is the light of our lives. She
is my granddaughter's bed buddy and is the smartest
standard I have ever had. Since I have had her
for awhile I thought I should run new blood work to
see where we stand with the kidneys.
Comparing her newest levels with her original report,
her levels are not good. Vet said he gave her a
year to close to two. I was devastated and could
not bring myself to tell my granddaughter.
Our local shows were here
last weekend. I sought advice from
Natures' Farmacy, Inc. They asked
how much meat I was giving her, I was shocked at their
question. Meat is high in protein and I was told
no meat or chicken. They explained to me
raw meat is good for her. Her kidneys can process the
protein in raw meat. Process foods
are not good for her kidneys. They asked about
raw veggies, well she gets none of that either.
They gave me a print out on
foods she should be eating that do not over work or
stress her kidneys.
Dogs are Carnivores, of
course I knew that, but they need meat, plant
carbohydrates and a little grain. They
also need fruit and veggies.
I was given a list of
things I can give her to vary her diet and hopefully
put on some weight. She is still so skinny.
Even when she ate the Nutro and KD canned food as well
as she did, 3 cups a day, she put on NO weight.
I am now cooking for her.
I cooked chicken wings in the pressure cooker for
three hours. The bones are so soft you can mash
them to pieces between your fingers, when they
cool, of course. She is getting lots of raw
hamburger meat, yogurt, brown rice, quick oatmeal, I
scramble eggs too. She can have sweet potatoes,
pasta, apples, pears, cantaloupe, zucchini
collard greens, kale, and cabbage.
Yesterday she ate a banana, I never dreamed she would
like a banana, my kids would not eat them...too mushy
!
Dogs should not have
raisins, grapes or onions !
I admit fixing her
breakfast and dinner takes more time now, but I am
going to try this for several months and then have her
blood test run again. It will be
interesting to see if any of the levels change one way
or the other. I figured it won't hurt and if I can
extend her life, I will do my best to try.
The buyer who insisted I
take her back right then and there has never once
called to check on her. That truly breaks
my heart, how can you not care what happens to her.
She is beautiful and a wonderful girl. I wish
some of my others had her personality. She
is great at catch and obedience work.
She sleeps in the bed with me now along with Chris,
since my husband passed.
Sometimes I wonder how
people can throw them away like yesterday's newspaper,
no second thought to their lives.
In this case, I am more
than happy to give her a wonderful home for however
long God sees fit ! She is a joy !
February 9:
Man's Best Friend
I am sorry I have not
posted a new blog recently. As many of you know,
my husband, Bob, of 44 years passed away Jan 8th after
a brief illness. I was so unprepared to say good-bye
to him. Funny how we all know the
years are passing, but to us we will live
forever.
Bob and I shared our bed
with a large female Dobe for 12 years. Bob was a
paralyzed Vet, sharing a bed with a large breed
who did not seem to know to lay any other way but
sideways, was difficult. He loved her
dearly, but after she passed he said, "no
more dogs in the bed."
We have had Standard
Poodles for a number of years now and never did I invite
one into bed, trying to be a good wife.
They, yes there is more than one, always slept in a
crate or on a rug on my side of the bed.
When Bob died and my heart was so
hurting, I went to bed each night as always.
About the third night my white Standard girl waited
on me to get into bed, then she hopped right up onto Bob's spot
on his side of the bed. She had never done this
before. I was sort of taken back by it, but did
not scowl her to get down. She looked at
me with those soft brown almond eyes as if to
say, "mom you need company." How
did she know how much I needed her to be with me?
She stayed on his side until I turned the light out,
then she moved closer to me either her head or a foot
touching me all night.
As the days passed by, my
days had more and more tears, I miss him more than I
can ever tell anyone, but Chris knows.
She comes over and put her head in my lap when I
am watching TV or if I take a nap on the sofa she
jumps up and lays on my feet, yes I said ON my feet.
She seems to know how sad I am, and tries to let me
know she will listen if I want to cry out loud.
My Poodles have truly saved
my sanity during these 4 weeks. If I did
not have puppies to tend, moms to feed and let
in/out, grooming to be done, I would have lost my
mind. My days are filled with chores and love
from my Poodles.
I don't know how they
seem to know when our hearts are breaking, but they
surely do. I get licks all day long and slowly I
am healing. Thank you God for making, " Man's Best
Friend !"
January 20:
Veterinarian speaks out on PETA and Westminster
Permission to crosspost:
|
Thank you Libbye
Miller DVM for stating:
"Adorable mixed breeds" get cancer,
epilepsy, allergies, heart disease, and
orthopedic problems just like purebreds. I see
it every day in my veterinary practice but mixed
breed dogs aren't tracked like
the purebreds so they have a reputation as
"healthier" that is actually
undeserved in many cases."
It is so sad that a lot of folks, including
young veterinarians these days, buy into the
"hybrid vigor" baloney. The vet
schools have been infiltrated by the Animal
Rights Extremists, who are teaching them this
junk science in order to push their agenda.
All animals have a certain amount of genetic
load, which is to say there is absolutely no
animal without some genetic problem of some sort
of another. Know anyone who wears glasses? Has
allergies? Thyroid problems? Weak knees? Flat
feet? A skin condition? Arthritis? A gap between
their front teeth? These are all genetic
imperfections.
No human is genetically "clean."
Neither is any individual of any species on
earth. So this idea that dogs should not be bred
because they might have a genetic problem, and
that breeders are somehow "evil" for
breeding them, is ridiculous. Every single
individual of every single species has at least
a few genetic conditions.
To use PeTA's logic, all breeding of all kinds
(including having human babies) should halt
immediately. And to be honest, Ingrid Newkirk
(the woman who founded PETA) does believe
exactly that. She thinks that humans should
become extinct, along with dogs, cats, etc. This
ridiculous scenario is precisely what she would
like to see happen.
So folks, if that is
what you want... if you agree with Ingrid
Newkirk's whacky views, send your hard earned
money to PETA. They will help to ensure you are
not able to own a dog or cat or hamster or any
other pet in the future. They will see to it
that you can't eat meat or fish or eggs or any
type of animal-based nutrition. They will work
to shut down places like Sea World, the zoos,
etc. so you cannot observe the many wonderful
animals on the Earth. Eventually, once they
accomplish these things, they may turn their efforts to making it illegal for humans to
procreate.
If you don't agree
with their extremist views, wise up and start
supporting those who truly do love, care for and
enjoy interaction with other species here on our
little blue planet.
The fanciers of the breeds, those you see
exhibiting their dogs at Westminster and other
dog shows, work very hard to eliminate serious
genetic conditions. They screen their breeding
stock with every
available test. They research pedigrees before
breeding into other lines, to check for similar
clearances in those animals. They contribute
money to research organizations to further the
work being
done to track down genetic problems. They
contribute blood, cell samples, etc. from their
own animals to help with DNA and genome studies.
They have made great progress so far, and they
continue to
work hard at it.
Are there unethical
breeders? Certainly, there are. Just as in any
group of humans, you will find the good and the
bad. United States VP Elect Joe Biden, for
example, managed to find a not so good one when
he got his new German Shepherd puppy. I don't
know who did his research for him, but they
obviously didn't do their homework if they were
looking for a responsible breeder. Joe has the
right to get his dog from whomever he wishes,
but if he was trying to set an example of
purchasing from a responsible hobby breeder he
went off the track this time. That's too bad,
but it was his choice.
Unfortunately, breeders like that may be a lot
easier to find because of their high volume and
high profile. If you are looking for a nice
family pet from a breeder who will be there for
you forever, you need
to do due diligence. You won't get that from a
pet store. You won't get that from the guy
selling dogs out of his pickup truck in the
WalMart parking lot. You won't get that support
from a high-volume breeder,
either. Yes, it takes a little more time and
effort to find someone who really cares and does
all the work to breed the healthiest, happiest
puppies possible and then stands behind those
puppies.
This is a living being that will be part of your
family, hopefully, for many years. Isn't it
worth a bit of effort to find a breeder who will
be there for you and that puppy forever?
And guess what? Shows
like Westminster are a very valuable resource
for finding breeders who do care and who use the
best possible practices, as well as for learning
more about the various breeds.
Bravo to USA Network for broadcasting the
Westminster Kennel Club show all these years.
May they enjoy continued success through the
ongoing inclusion of such programs. I will be
eagerly watching this year's show!"
Dr. Libbye Miller
|
December 17: Treat Recipe
To everyone who keeps up
with my blogs, I am sorry to be late posting another
one.
My husband has been ill and
has been in the VA hospital after being ill here at
home for a month. Then he was moved to the critical
care unit. He is better now, thank the good
Lord. After 44 years of marriage, it is like
suddenly doing without your right arm.
Thought I would have a blog
on something different this time...a receipt. I
must admit I found it in BARK MAGAZINE, but it sounded
simple and good for our pets.
3 cups plain non-fat yogurt
1 cup peanut
butter (unsalted)
1 Tbs honey
Combine all ingredients and
whisk thoroughly. Pour mixture into ice cube
trays and freeze solid (at least two hours.)
Pop out one cube at a time
and serve to your best friend.
Credit for the receipt in BARK was from Organic Dog Biscuit
Cookbook.
November 24: Teeth Care
I wanted to write a
blog on teeth care. First, it does not matter
what size Poodle you obtain, be sure to keep and eye
on adult teeth when they come in. Some times the
bottom canine teeth, the sharp pointed ones, will not
come in to the outside of the top gum. If you
see this happening, take the Poodle to the Vet.
If the teeth come in poking into the top gum, they
will make a hole in the gum. Food can collect in
these holes, not to mention it hurts, and cause
serious problems. Infection can set in to the
roof of the mouth, you will then have a serious
problem.
The other thing I would
like to make you aware of is teeth of the toy breeds.
Toy Poodles do not seem to have strong healthy teeth.
They need cleaning often and it is not unusual for
some teeth to be pulled at cleaning time. The
best thing to do it to have their teeth checked by the
Vet about every 6 months and get them cleaned when the
Vet advises.
Teeth with lots of Tartar
at the base line close to the gum can cause tooth
decay, bad breath, and serious health issues, such as
kidney problems. Keep and eye out on your toy
poodle's teeth. If decay and tartar build
up with no treatment, it can cause the jaw to actually
rot away.
I have recently starting
using one of the products on the market to add to the
water. It is to cleanse the mouth and to help with
tartar build up. There are many on the market.
My Poodles do not seem to notice any difference in the
taste of their water. I am hoping it works
to help with less tartar build up. I have not
had much of a problem with Miniature Poodles' teeth,
until old age. I have never had a Standard
need it's teeth cleaned, but Toys are a different
story. Teeth cleaning is getting
expensive, like everything else, price is going up.
Whatever I can do to help with this problem I am
willing to try.
Remember to watch those
teeth !
October 17: A Company That
Gives Back
I have been involved with
the pet industry for more years than I should confess
too. If you have read my info on my web site,
then you know I have been showing for over 30 years.
In that time, things have evolved so we may order
supplies from the internet and not buy at dog shows or
pet supply business.
I like to buy from
companies who give back. I am a firm
believer, no matter how you are involved with pets,
taking, and taking and not giving back is not right in
God's eyes. Our pets give us so much, we need to
repay them with love, devotion, health care, good food
and clean water. Then we need to give to
the poor animals that are not so lucky in one way or
another.
In the latest issue of
FOSTER AND SMITH catalog, there is an article titled,
" How Much We Love helping animals." I
sat down to read it and I was surprised to learn how
mush these two Vets and their company have provided
when and where it as needed.
When they first went into
practice, early 1980s, they noticed many working class
families, due to financial restraints, were forgoing
routine vaccinations, neutering and spaying.
They offered FREE vaccines, and altering on pets
families wanted to bring to them.
When 9/11 happened, they
observed on TV the search and rescue dogs going
over all the concrete, glass, hot steel and God
only knows what else with no protection to their feet.
The doctors air lifted cases of leather soled dog boots
to help protect the dog's feet.
When Katrina's lost pets
were in need, they launched a relief effort.
They organized a steady convoy of dog and cat food,
carriers, leashes, and other supplies exceeding
$100,000 in relief. Later as things slacked off,
they donated another $20, 000 in pet supplies
to Best Friends, a non-profit rescue group, to help
reunite pets and owners.
They also donated pet
supplies and care to the '85 Mexico City
earthquake, as well as '89 San Francisco quake.
They hold vaccine clinics 3
times a year for employees.
This company is celebrating
25 years in business. When a company
makes money, and yet returns it to the community and is
always there when the need arises, they are to be
celebrated. Today so much is all about
greed, "what can it do for me? "
This company always asked, "What can they do to
help ?"
I applaud them many times
over !!!! I thank them for coming to the need !!
We need to be aware of
companies like this and support their efforts.
Doctors Foster and Smith
1-800-826-7206, DrsFosterSmith.com
(if you know of other pet
industry companies giving back, please support them
also !)
Oct. 6: Rabies
Update
Many
things in our changing world or being challenged in
order to provide better health care for our pets,
Yearly Rabies vaccinations are one.
Please read the Rabies Challenge Fund report, there
are efforts to get states all across the US to change
the rules on yearly Rabies vaccinations requirement.
Our pets are coming down with many very serious health
issues and over vaccinating is one of the reasons why.
............................
PERMISSION
IS GRANTED TO POST AND CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE.
THE RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
The
Rabies Challenge Fund has earned the endorsement of
canine celebrities, Rin Tin Tin and Benji
http://www.rabieschallengefund.org/,
and Jan Rasmusen author of the
national-award-winning health care book, Scared
Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care, will
send an autographed copy of her book for donations to The
Rabies Challenge Fund above $500 http://www.truthfordogs.com/.
November
marks the one year anniversary since the concurrent 5
and 7 year challenge studies began at the University
of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, and the
fund has raised $120,700 of the $209,000 needed
to fund the studies' 2nd year budget.
TENNESSEE
Rabies Laws
Tennessee
dog owners have launched an effort requesting the
state to consistently enforce the 3
year rabies immunization requirement set
forth in Tennessee law Title 68 Chapter 8 tennessee.gov/sos/acts/103/pub/pc0765.pdf .
The RabiesVaccinationChallengeinTN
Yahoo Group they formed can be found at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/RabiesVaccinationChallengeinTN/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=3 .
CHEYENNE,
WYOMING Rabies Laws
Cheyenne's Public
Services Committee is scheduled to meet on
October 13th to make a recommendation to the City
Council on the proposed adoption of a 3 year rabies
protocol. An article in the September 27, 2008 issue
of the Wyoming Eagle Tribune entitled
Council Mulls Less Frequent Rabies Shots http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2008/09/27/local_news_updates/20local_092708.txt
by Jodi Rogstad states:
"Good
news for dog and cat owners: Instead of the annual
rabies shot for your furry friends, that requirement
may change to as little as once every three
years."
ARKANSAS
Considers Adopting 3 Year Rabies Protocol
The State of Arkansas is considering adoption of a
3-year rabies protocol. Below is a copy of my
letter on behalf of The Rabies Challenge Fund to the
Arkansas Governor and Attorney General.
What You Can Do to Help:
Contact
the Arkansas Legislature http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
(full
e-mail list at the bottom of this message) and ask
them to pass the 3 year rabies legislation when it is
introduced and request that a medical exemption clause
for sick animals be included.
October 5, 2008
Governor
Mike Beebe
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel
Governor’s
Office
Office of the Attorney General
State
Capitol Room
250
323
Center Street, Suite 200
Little Rock
,
AR
72201
Little Rock
,
AR
72201
RE:
ARKANSAS
RABIES IMMUNIZATION PROTOCOL
The Rabies Challenge Fund Charitable
Trust has been made aware that the State of
Arkansas is considering adoption of the 3-year rabies
immunization protocol recommended by the Center for
Disease Control’s National Association of State
Public Health Veterinarians and the American
Veterinary Medical Association
to replace the State’s current annual requirement.
Not only does The Rabies Challenge Fund endorse
adoption of the national 3-year standard, but we
strongly encourage
Arkansas
to include a medical exemption clause for sick
animals, for which vaccination is medically
contraindicated.
It is recognized that
most, if not all, currently licensed annual rabies
vaccines given annually are actually the 3-year
vaccine relabeled for annual use -- Colorado State
University's Small Animal Vaccination Protocol for its veterinary teaching
hospital states: “Even
with rabies vaccines, the label may be misleading in
that a three year duration of immunity product may
also be labeled and sold as a one year duration of
immunity product.”
According
to Dr. Ronald Schultz of the University of Wisconsin
School of Veterinary Medicine, whose canine vaccine
studies form a large part of the scientific base for
the 2003 and 2006 American Animal Hospital
Association’s (AAHA) Canine
Vaccine Guidelines as well
as the World Small Animal Veterinary Association’s (WSAVA)
2007 Vaccine Guidelines, “There
is no benefit from annual rabies vaccination and most
one year rabies products are similar or identical to
the 3-year products with regard to duration of
immunity and effectiveness.”
Section
20-19-202 of
Arkansas
’ Rabies Law requiring annual rabies boosters
may have been intended to achieve enhanced immunity to
rabies virus by giving the vaccine more often than the
federal 3-year licensening standard. But, more
frequent vaccination than is required to fully
immunize an animal will not achieve
further disease protection.
Redundant annual rabies shots needlessly expose
dogs and cats to the risk of adverse effects while
obligating residents to pay unnecessary veterinary
medical fees. The
American
Veterinary Medical Association's 2001
Principles of Vaccination state that “Unnecessary stimulation of the immune system does not result in
enhanced disease resistance, and may increase the risk
of adverse post-vaccination events.”
The
law, as it currently reads, may violate Arkansas
Consumer Protection Laws 4-88-107
and 4-88-108
by requiring pet owners to pay for a yearly veterinary
medical procedure from which their animals derive no
benefit and may be harmed.
The fact that the rabies vaccine confers a
minimum duration of immunity of 3 years is
“concealed” or “omitted” from consumers (pet
owners). Compliance
with Section 20-19-202 of the Rabies Law places
veterinarians in the uneasy position of “Over-treating
patients” -- an apparent violation of Section
17-101-305 (a)(17) of the Arkansas Veterinary Medical
Practice Act.
Immunologically,
the rabies vaccine is the most potent of the
veterinary vaccines and associated with significant
adverse reactions such as polyneuropathy “resulting in
muscular atrophy, inhibition or interruption of
neuronal control of tissue and organ function,
incoordination, and weakness,”
auto-immune hemolytic anemia,
autoimmune diseases affecting the thyroid, joints, blood,
eyes, skin, kidney, liver, bowel and central nervous
system; anaphylactic shock; aggression; seizures;
epilepsy; and fibrosarcomas at injection sites are all
linked to the rabies vaccine. It is medically unsound for this vaccine to be
given more often than is necessary to maintain
immunity.
A
“killed” vaccine, the rabies vaccine contains
adjuvants to enhance the immunological response.
In 1999, the World Health Organization "
classified veterinary vaccine adjuvants as Class
III/IV carcinogens with Class IV being the highest risk,"
and
the results of a study published in the August 2003
Journal of Veterinary Medicine documenting
fibrosarcomas at the presumed injection sites of
rabies vaccines stated, “In
both dogs and cats, the development of necrotizing
panniculitis at sites of rabies vaccine administration
was first observed by Hendrick & Dunagan (1992).”
According to the 2003 AAHA Guidelines, "...killed vaccines are much more likely to
cause hypersensitivity reactions (e.g.,
immune-mediated disease)."
The labels on rabies vaccines state that they
are for “the vaccination of healthy
cats,
dogs…,” and
there are medical conditions for which vaccination can
jeopardize the life or well-being of an animal.
A medical exemption clause inserted into the
new 3 year Rabies Law being considered would allow
veterinarians to write waivers for animals for whom
medical conditions preclude vaccination.
The State of
Maine
inserted such an exemption
into the 3 year rabies protocol, 7
M.R.S.A., Sec. 3922(3), it
adopted in 2004 as follows:
A. A
letter of exemption from vaccination may be submitted
for licensure, if a medical reason exists that
precludes the vaccination of the dog.
Qualifying letters must be in the form of a
written statement, signed by a licensed veterinarian,
that includes a description of the dog, and the
medical reason that precludes vaccination.
If the medical reason is temporary, the letter
shall indicate a time of expiration of the exemption.
B.
A
dog exempted under the provisions of paragraph 5 A,
above, shall be considered unvaccinated, for the
purposes of 10-144 C.M.R. Ch.251, Section 7(B)(1),
(Rules Governing Rabies Management) in the case of
said dog’s exposure to a confirmed or suspect rabid
animal.
The Rabies Challenge Fund strongly supports a
change in the Arkansas Rabies Law to conform to the
3-year national standard and respectfully requests
that medical exemption language be inserted into the
law.
Sincerely,
Kris L. Christine
Founder, Co-Trustee
THE
RABIES CHALLENGE FUND
www.RabiesChallengeFund.org
cc:
Arkansas
State
Legislature
Richard
Bell, Secretary, Arkansas Department of Agriculture
Dr. Susan
Weinstein,
Arkansas
Public Health Veterinarian
Dr. W. Jean
Dodds, Co-Trustee of The Rabies Challenge Fund
Dr. Ronald
Schultz,
University
of
Wisconsin
School
of
Veterinary Medicine
Sept. 29: Finding and Sharing
Information
I love to look around on
the web for as much info I can find on my breed.
I often read about other breeds and what are their
health issues. All breeds have health
issues, some problems are the same, but some are only
found in that particular breed.
I found a site today full
of info. What really surprised me, it was up-to-date
on the new recommendation of vaccinations and over
vaccinating.
There are articles on
health, behavior problems, signs of illness,
housebreaking, grooming, products and grooming.
Also, how to care for your senior poodle.
I use this blog page to
inform others of interesting facts and sites on the
web. This site is worth taking a look, and
reading. They even have a free newsletter
you can sign up to receive.
They explain how to give
your pet a home health check and of course
recommend to see a Vet if you find anything.
Take a look: http://www.mypoodles.com/poodle-health.html
Sept. 17: War Dogs
I was reading a Doberman
magazine the other day and it was discussing how dogs
have been used in war. I was surprised to
learn Standard Poodles were used in WW11.
I was also enlightened
by reading this article on how the use of dogs
has changed since WW11. At that
time, dogs were trained to be messengers and scouts,
going ahead of the men, spotting and warning about the
enemy lying ahead. Trained never to bark, but
alert in different ways. After all barking gave
away positions. Our country only had a few
trained war dogs. Training was performed
by private dog trainers, since the military had
not formed a dog unit as such. These private dog
trainers not only trained dogs, but they trained the
service man to know how to work with and train dogs.
Since we had no breeding
facilities for war dogs, word put out to the
public to provide their pets for training to help the
troops. Many donated their pets who only
yesterday were their companions lying on the couch.
Then the pet was off to be trained at military
camps. I couldn't help, but think how
confused they must have been. Yet this was
your civic duty to provide dogs to be
trained to work along side our troops and save
lives. I can't imagine the mixed emotions
people surely had at that time.
Standard Poodles were in the numbers of donated
volunteers!
Of course, the military
took all they could train, but if your dog did not
meet the ideals for the strict training,
they were returned to the owner.
As time went on, dogs were
trained to do more and more. Then the
military created their own work force of dogs.
Things were very different in Viet Nam.
Dogs belonged to the military, once his duties
were completed he was property of the US Government. Handlers
could not take their dogs home to the US, because the dogs
had been trained to be working animals and to defend
or kill if necessary.
My husband and I lived
outside the military base in Okinawa, which
trained several breeds for Viet Nam. They
had a parking area you could pull over and watch
the soldiers work with their dogs. I fell in
love with dogs then and there. Of course, I
was a child of the 50s when Cocker Spaniels were the
dog of the time, I grew up loving dogs.
I was never without a dog. Seeing how the dogs
could be trained to do so many different commands made
me love them even more. I always felt man
had only just touch on the greatness of our canine
friends. I feel dogs can be used for even
more than we do now.
Dogs have always been so
good at what they do. During the war, the enemy
started to get wise and take out the dogs,
leaving the forces with no outside protection, just
each other. It was humorous to read one
soldier say all the men in his unit wanted to
sleep with him and his dog in his fox hole at
night. You have to keep in mind how exhausted
these men were and longed for a good night of
sound sleep, yet you dare not sleep too long. If
you slept in the fox hole with the soldier with his
dog, the soldier would tie the dog's leash to his
hand or leg. If the dog moved in any way, he knew
it, and awoke to check it out. Sometimes they
were able to get a full night of sleep.
They soldier with the dog was a popular guy
!
Standard Poodle performed
their duties as well as other breeds, but were
given up due to the coat continually growing.
After all soldiers did not have clippers to keep them
in a nice trimmed condition. The dogs
became matted, dirty, and even wet.
Therefore Standard Poodles were given up.
This article made me think
how all around great our Standard Poodles are,
they are wonderful as house companions,
great with kids, they are great at all events,
fly ball, obedience, agility, you think of it and a
Standard Poodle is involved performing it's heart
out. Pleasing us is in their hearts and
souls !
I did not know they were
used as war dogs. See we are never too old to
learn !
Sept. 10: Cross bred dogs, Labs and
Standard Poodles
I have written a blog on
this subject before, but in searching the web today I
ran into this site. I thought it was worth
putting on my blog page, because it is written by
a Vet , Dr Frances Smith, DVM PHD, and explains the
down side of this "designer dog" better than
I could ever attempt to do.
http://www.thelabradorclub.com/subpages/labradoodle.php
I was thrilled to read the
Labrador Club has posted they are opposed to crossing
their wonderful breed with any other breed.
Please take the time to
read the site listed above, especially if you, or
anyone you know, is thinking of buying one of the
cross bred "designer dogs."
A few months ago I was in
an obedience class where a young couple had two of the
exact same crosses, two sisters. They were
so ugly, sorry, but they truly were ugly and I bet
they paid top dollar. The girls were very tall,
no bone or body, no substance to them at all down
right boney. Their coats were horrible, not
curly or thick, but very sparce. If you want to
call it coat. I had never seen a dog with such
weird coat. At one point in our class, I
was behind the two girls when it came get our dogs to
heal position around in a circle. I had to trade
places with some one else, because watching these two
sisters from the rear was truly a painful experience.
Their movement in the rear was so bad. I
was willing to bet anyone a $100 on each girl that
these two had Hip Dysplasia. No only did they
move too close in the rear, hocks touched each other,
they both had a hitch to their movement.
My heart really hurt for those two poor dogs being
brought into the world to suffer with hip problems. Of
course, the young couple knew nothing and were not
wise enough to know what they had spent good money for
was only just starting to cause them a huge outlay of
money. These poor girls had to be in
pain to move around the circle and they were only
puppies. I really just could not watch
them and keep my big mouth shut, so I traded places.
Then I did not have a birds eye view and I could keep
my mouth shut !
In reading the above site,
I was surprised to read the description of their body
shape, "Body
shape varies with parentage but tends to be lanky and
narrow." These
two sisters looked exactly like this. I
truly thought they were Russian Wolf Hounds until I
asked someone. I was stunned to learn they were
a cross between Lab and Standard Poodle.
Please read the article it
is short and very informative.
If you want a designer dog, please go to the
pound and offer a wonderful dog a great home for
very little money !
August 30: Dr. Jean
Dodds
Please listen to the broadcast by Dr Dodds, an
authority in her field and very well respected in the
animal health world. I have a blog about
vaccinations all ready, but Dr Dodds is by far the
expert in the field.
