Chicken Snacks For Dogs Causing Deaths

Dogster has the goods:

“FDA is advising consumers who choose to feed their dogs chicken jerky products to watch their dogs closely for any or all of the following signs that may occur within hours to days of feeding the products: decreased appetite; decreased activity; vomiting; diarrhea, sometimes with blood; increased water consumption and/or increased urination. If the dog shows any of these signs, stop feeding the chicken jerky product. Owners should consult their veterinarian if signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours. Blood tests may indicate kidney failure (increased urea nitrogen and creatinine). Urine tests may indicate Fanconi syndrome (increased glucose). Although most dogs appear to recover, some reports to the FDA have involved dogs that have died.”

I don't want to besmirch an entire country, but be aware that dog snacks made in China have caused canine deaths all too often.







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Calls And Letters Needed

via Facebook:

Cumberland County Animal Control in Fayetteville, NC. There is a breed ban set to go into affect Monday the 5th of December all Dobermans, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, German Shepherds, Great Danes, Pitbulls, Mastiffs(all bully breeds), Akitas and Huskies. These dogs will be held for the mandatory 72 hrs and then will be killed, they are not going to be given a chance to be adopted. Contact Mayor and be nice about it.


Mayor Anthony G. Chavonne
433 Hay Street
Fayetteville, NC 28301
910-433-1992, 910-433-3401
Fax 433-1948
mayor@ci.fay.nc.us

So I guess my childhood dog, a shelter rescue named Lacy (a white huskey mix with a blue eye and a brown eye), would have been put down immediately, even though he went on to live 14 years and never bit anyone. My ex boyfriend's dog, Ben (a rottie) - another shelter rescue, would have been put down even though he is the mascot of the house and well-loved, and named Ben as in Gentle Ben. I guess my friend Karen and her husband Eric would have had to put down Amadeus (a rottie) who they inherited with their house (POS former owners left him in the garage!), and who lived with them and their two toddlers for his remaining years, and guarded those kids with his life.  The great dane thing just shows how ill informed this town is. They are the gentlest creatures of all, the whale-sharks of the canine world (eat plankton but are huge).



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Delta Does It Again

Really, if you are a pet owner, stay away from this airline.

Previous stories here,  here, and here.



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Dog Treats From China Killing Dogs

via Vitals on MSNBC.com:

At least 70 dogs have been sickened so far this year after reportedly eating chicken jerky products imported from China, FDA officials said. That’s up from 54 reports of illness in 2010. Some of the dogs have died, according to the anecdotal reports from pet owners and veterinarians.

...Symptoms may include decreased appetite, decreased activity, vomiting, diarrhea, increased water consumption and increased urination. If dogs show any of these signs, stop feeding the animal the chicken jerky products, FDA officials said. If signs are severe or persist for more than 24 hours, seek veterinary help.

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Remember Issues With (Certain) Dogs Flying On Planes, and, Delta Still Sucks

Short snouted dogs have trouble breathing (and panting, which cools them) during stressful situations, like flying in an airplane. See this old post I did on the subject.

But as the subject has been studied and more evidence shows that not only short nosed dogs don't fare well, but that any dog in the cargo hold of a plane could easily die from extremem temperatures and stress caused by any number of factors.

Recently, this poor dog died unnecessarily. I feel bad for the soldier whose dog it was.

The problem is so widespread it led to a study by the U.S. Department of Transport which analyzed the death of cats and dogs during flights from May 2005 to May 2010. Their results showed that flat-faced canines such as pugs, bulldogs, boxers, Boston terriers and cats such as Himalayans and Persians were extremely susceptible to the stress of flying in the cargo hold.

The study also found that English bulldogs, like Buster accounted for more deaths than any other breed.

Animals with snub-noses are at a higher risk because “their breathing is more restricted” than cats and dogs with a longer muzzles. This restricted breathing makes it harder for them to cool themselves by panting.

Since the study many airlines have banned these animals from flying unless they are seated in the climate controlled cabin of a plane, like human passengers.

I would add that flying in cargo is no picnic and many animals have been frozen to death (like this one) as well as having died of excessive heat. It's better to leave your pet home, frankly, or use a pet friendly airline.

I do not even fly Delta Airlines anymore, since they have lost three passengers' dogs in recent years. Here is a bit from the kitten article I linked above, about Delta's poor record:

This is not the first time Delta Airlines has been in the news for the death of a pet they were transporting. Between November 2009 and October 2010 the airline reported 12 deaths, four injuries and one loss.

There were a total of 33 animal deaths reported during that time from all of the airlines combined – placing Delta with a far greater number than their competitors.

Another article over at Dogster about Delta losing people's pets.
And some of my old posts about Delta, here and here.


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Be Advised!

This beautiful dog, Badger, a police K-9 partner, died tragically when a rubber ball she was trying to catch became lodged in her throat. I've heard of this exact thing happening before. It's best to get over sized balls for your dogs to play with. I think it may have happened to one of Oprah's dogs, if I'm not mistaken. A ball fills the shape of the throat perfectly and you have no room to maneuver your fingers to grab the ball. It's a terrible way for a pet to die.

DAYTON — A Dayton Police drug dog died over the weekend after too, a freak accident with her trainer and police partner.

Badger, a 6-year-old Belgian Malinois, was exercising with her police partner Det. Kevin Bollinger, at Lyons Field when a ball tossed to her became lodged in her throat, according to Sgt. Gary Lowe.

Badger was taken to a veterinarian off Woodman Drive, via a police escort, after several unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the rubber, baseball-sized ball. The veterinarian was able to remove the ball, but was unable to revive Badger, who died at approximately 1 p.m. Friday.

The veterinarian told police that the rubber ball collapsed when Badger bit down on the ball, but expanded in her throat. “This was a total freak accident,” Lowe said.

Full story here.

My condolences to the Dayton Police Department and Badger's partner, Detective Kevin Bollinger.



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