FYI...I got this from a real good friend of mine who is a rescuer. She doesn't forward emails unless she's verified the content. PLEASE PASS ALONG TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW WHO HAS A PET IN THEIR HOME – whether it be a rescue, foster or personal pet!! Here are three separate canine health related issues. FYI... From a fellow rescuer: You know I rescued 8 pups from another shelter and all 8 pups died, from an on going and series of illnesses we kept treating. I finally with the loss of the 3rd pup had an autopsy done. It came back as Canine Distemper. The vet never suspected Canine Distemper due to it's very rare these days with the success of the vaccines. "I am concerned that with all these different news reports of a new strain of parvo, now the new strain of upper respiratory , I'm wondering if it isn't isn't a NEW Strain or an outbreak of Canine Distemper breaking back into the canine population. With the expressed information that threre's no vaccine for these new strains, what are we to do, I have "9" canine's at my home, 5 personal dogs, 4 rescues, how do I justify putting them at risk by bringing home new rescues? This is SO alarming and UPSETTING to me. The pups I adoped were 2 weeks old at the time of rescuing and 9 weeks old when the final pup had to PTS. These pups came from Robeson County Animal Shelter, NC. All vet's (4 total) I consulted with during the heartbreak of my 8 pups, said that "It has been the WORST year ever w/Parvo, URI" and now with the Distemper cases now showing up, I have to ask................ "WHAT's going on?" Concerned & Distressed! Lee County Shelter, Fort Meyers, FL http://www.newspress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articleAID=/20080209/NEWS01/80208088/1075 On Feb 8, 2008 7:52 AM, Lia Berez <atlanta_mom@ yahoo.com> wrote: HEALTH ALERT NEW CANINE PARVOVRUS STRAIN IS KILLING PUPPIES by Robert Jay Russell, Ph.D., Coton de Tulear Club of America President, www.cotonclub. com CotonNews@aol. com February 8th, 2008. THIS JUST IN! Thanks to Gretchen Schumacher we received this Itchmo.com report of an OSU news release: there's a new, highly lethal variant Parvovirus (CPV-2c) killing puppies in the US . It is NOT prevented by the old, original CPV vaccine that we all use to immunize our dogs. As yet there is no vaccine for this killer virus. Worse, it has been largely seen at midwest puppy mills (note the quote in the article below: "One breeder lost 600 puppies in a night.") and thus is likely spreading like wildfire through pet shop sales throughout the U.S. These sick puppies will be spreading CPV-2c in veterinary hospitals, parks and playgrounds, pet stores, grooming shops and elsewehere where dogs are taken. Their owners will likely be spreading the shed virus on the soles of their shoes, just as the original Parvovirus is spread. This n! ew virus variant in the U.S. will impact negatively how all of us -- breeders and owners alike -- will protect our puppies and train and socialize them. We'll report updates as they become available... OSU Laboratory Discovers New Canine Parvovirus Posted on Thursday, February 7th, 2008 at 12:30 pm Here is a press release from the Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences: A team of Oklahoma State University (OSU) veterinarians, virologists and pathologists at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (OADDL) recently published a paper in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology on their findings from a Canine parvovirus (CPV) study. Led by Dr. Sanjay Kapil, the group is the first to describe the CPV type 2c variant in the United States . "We were quite fortunate to discover this variant," explains Kapil. "It has been known for six years in Italy but nobody paid attention to it here until we found it last year." Shortly after Kapil joined the OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, he received a case at the OADDL. The adult dog had been vaccinated multiple times and still became sick with Parvovirus. "This was very unusual and we were totally surprised that it was CPV type 2c, which had not been found in the U.S. until then," says Kapil. "What was so interesting was that after we described this disease, we ended up with samples from other locations here in the U.S. " A patent has been filed on the characteristics of the U.S. CPV-2c. The team reports that 500 samples were submitted from locations in south California to south Florida . The published paper has been presented at national level meetings and internationally in Italy and Melbourne , Australia . However, their work is not done. "The team work was most important. Sometimes we received ten dead puppies a day. We are working with several veterinarians and are receiving samples from cases with a history of vaccine failure," continues Kapil. "Diagnostic laboratories need to be involved to identify CPV-2c. The disease now exists in all countries except Australia because of its geographical isolation." According to Kapil, the disease presentation is different in that normally parvovirus does not affect adult dogs only puppies. However, since publishing their findings, the OADDL has received samples from adult dogs in Minnesota . "Veterinarians are confused because the in office diagnostic tests come up negative," explains Kapil. "Clinically it looks like parvovirus so they send it to us. The OADDL tests it and it is parvovirus. Now world-wide (except for Australia ), this particular variant can attack the heart and intestines." He goes on to say that the mortality has been quite heavy. One breeder lost 600 puppies in one night. Without further testing, it is not known if the cause was simply this virus or if other factors were involved. "We will continue to study CPV-2c. Through collaborations with others we will search for more effective vaccines," he promises. Of 80 cases tested by the OADDL, 26 were from Oklahoma puppies/dogs. Of those 26, 15 tested positive for CPV-2c.
I've spoken with a couple of vets about this and they said that the problem with distemper is that a dog can have it and be contageous for WEEKS without appearing sick and be spreading it. ALSO that people get a puppy, get it one round of shots and then they dont see it for a year. . .booster shots MUST be given to pups (just like human children) in order to build their immune system. Once a pup has the vaccine, it takes a minimum of 4 days for it to start to work and 2-3 WEEKS before it is fully effective. Dogs do NOT have to come in contact with an infected dog to contract distemper or parvo - simply by coming into contact with an infected dogs waste, or even dried saliva can infect a dog who is not up to date on their shots or showing titers for the antibodies. This is why people with young pups should NOT be trooping them through PetSmart, or any other place where dogs are not REQUIRED to have shots - have dogs walking about. IF you have an sick dog (with a non-contageous disease), or one who has just had surgery, or a very old dog, their immune system is in a very weakened condition and you should NEVER allow them to got to places with young pups walking about. Even if you have your dog vaccinated yearly, if their immune system is weakened, they CAN be subject to parvo, distemper and the like. More reasons that leash laws and people picking up their dogs poop when they walk them is a must! Very sad indeed - One thing that was odd... in that article it stated in the mice type that one breeder lost 600 dogs ?!? Please say that was a typo. . .no "breeder" on Earth has 600 dogs. The mention of "pet shops" made me want to vomit too. . .smells like puppy mills to me. . .still hate to see poor animals suffer because humans are greedy and lazy. Oh, I just went back and re-read it - yeah - they said mid West puppy mill. . .
Zookeeper, let me ask your opinion. I usually take my 10 yo bully to the vet every other month to get his nails clipped and bathed, etc. Do you still think it's safe for me to do this? He is utd on shots, etc.
If you are comfortable in trimming his nails, (usually white nails are the easiest to view their quick (the vein that extends into the nail) then the nail trim is fine for you to do at home. Since you keep up on his nails, it is very likely that even if those nails are black, trimming a tiny bit off the ends will be safe from cutting his quick, which will bleed and is painful. When professional groomers bathe dogs, they also clean ears (VERY important, especially after a bath, to be certain that the ears are not only clean, but DRY as well) damp ears, especially in rosebud type ears as in Greyhounds-for example, or flap type ears like bullies have, because of a lack of air circulation, bacteria and yeast could not ask for a better environment to live in than a warm, dark, moist ear canal - so being certain that the ear is as clean and dry as possible is quite important after bathing where water would get in. Pro's also do anal glands - some dogs can go their entire life without ever needing their anal glands expressed - other dogs need it on a regular basis - if your dog scoots a lot before he is about due for a bath, then you know he likely needs his glands expressed on a regular basis. This is not hard to do, but it is a bit messy and smelly - but like I mentioned, it may not be a dire necessity, as mother nature often takes care of this naturally - it just depends on the individual dog. If you can do a thorough job on his ears, feel comfortable in clipping his nails and his anal glands are either good without getting done, or you are ok with expressing them, and you can handle the possible mess (dog shaking excess H2O etc. . .) involved with bathing him, I'd say go for it. While I am capable of doing all of the above, I always have Jean from Bark and Bath come and do the boys - she does 3 out of the 4 - they have LONG thick hair which needs trimming, cutting, and shaving in personal areas - plus the veils and beards - well, even with 14 yrs of hair styling behind me, I'd probably end up giving them bowl cuts, or making them end up looking like they had Mamie Eisenhower bangs :lol: The one Jean doesn't do is "Frankenstein" - he just has too much attitude and would have to be muzzled, and I just wouldn't impose that much drama on Jean - never attempted to, I just toss his 11 lb. butt in the kitchen sink and scrub him good - he loves his mama and would never show his arse to me.
I'm scared to do his nails, I've hurt him before. They are black and so hard, very thick nails. I don't mess with his anal glands, I let the vet do it. I keep his ears clean, because he gets yeast infections, so I prevent that. I was just wondering if it was still safe for me to take him to the vet to get him groomed every other month with this new strain of virus going around.
Oh, silly me - Sorry I mis-read your post. . .sometimes sentences can sound like they have double meanings. Yes, I would say it is safe for him to go to the vet's office. Any pet mishaps are thoroughly cleaned when they occur in the waiting areas, and exam tables are cleaned also in between patients. Germicides are used which kill any harmful bacteria. As a matter of safe practice, whenever my dogs are in an office, I keep them away from other dogs, usually have them sit by my side, or in front of me and keep them from nosing around. This is a good measure to keep dogs safe from any contact disease, as well as possible dog fights.
I always cringe when I see people bringing their dogs into places like Petsmart. I guarantee you not all of them are healthy. No telling what your pet could pick up at someplace like that.
Young pups ... that's what gets to me. I see people carrying around puppies that look like they are only 6 weeks old, give or take a week ... they put them down on the floors to sniff and stagger around ... ugh, my tummy does flip flops whenever I see it. Those poor babies ... very little immune system as it is, they dont even have full vaccines yet (if any) ... ugh, ugh.
Yep, I've never taken my dogs somewhere like that. I may take them for a car ride, or to their vet, but that's about it. Thanks Zoo, so I'll keep taking him in for groomings :lol:
