Fetch the Paper: Digital Dog Edition

Hot Time... Summer in the City (or Country)

It's time for summer heat, and the annual reminder that you must keep your pets safe as the temperatures rise. We really liked the following list from the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County, to which we will add one more item:

BE AWARE OF HEAT ON ROADS and SIDEWALKS. At a recent outdoor dog event where a main walking surface was asphalt, we observed many dogs who were suffering from burning paws. The dogs were struggling and trying to scramble for safer shady spots, but often their owners were simply oblivious. Out of hundreds of dogs at the event, we saw only ONE who wore protective booties!

And now for the list from Sonoma Humane:

DO NOT LEAVE PETS IN CARS. On a hot day, in less than 10 minutes the inside of a car’s temperature can reach 112 degrees (even with the windows down) putting pets in danger of heatstroke. If a car is parked in direct sunlight, the temperature can potentially rise more than 30 degrees per minute, and quickly become lethal.

AVOID LONG PERIODS OF EXERCISE. Heat exhaustion can occur in pets when temperatures are high, especially in the midday sun. Shorter walks during early morning and evening hours is a better alternative.

PROVIDE PLENTY OF SHADE & WATER. Animals left outdoors must have access to a shaded/sheltered area – it’s the law! Be sure to also double up on water for your pets - have two bowls out instead of one - and of course be aware of the need for more potty breaks if your pets are inside.

USE SUNSCREEN. Dogs and cats with light colored noses or fur can get sunburned, especially on their noses and tips of the ears. Use sunscreen to protect them from skin cancer.

PREVENT FLEAS & TICKS. Fleas and ticks are abundant during hot, summer months. Be sure to protect your pet with monthly treatments which can be purchased at any pet supply store.

Help your dog give something back

Your dog can be a hero to other dogs, and she won't even have to miss dinner. The UC Davis Veterinary Blood Bank needs dog blood donors to help dogs suffering from everything from surgical complications to kidney failure.

The Blood Bank screens dogs carefully. They hope to screen 1200 dogs each year in order to establish a donor bank of 200 to 400 dogs.  Dog donors would be asked to come in 4 or 5 times a year. There is no sedation involved, just like with human donors.

Donors should be between one and eight years old, weigh at least 55 pounds, be up to date on flea, tick and heartworm meds, and never have been pregnant or have had puppies.  The screening visit and all subsequent donation visits will last about half an hour.

If you're interested in helping out, call the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at (530) 752-1393 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or email caninebloodbank (at) gmail (dot) com.

Incidentally, there's still a shortage of human blood in the Bay Area. Visit the Blood Centers of the Pacific website for details on how you can give blood. After all, you don't want your dog to look braver than you are.

Image is from here.

Mini Muttballs!

Now, Rachael Ray is not my favorite celebrity chef. She's a bit loony for my taste, and most of her recipes don't sound all that good. But she has a special running on the Food Network now, where she has a full hour and focuses on good eats and fun for pets. Her own dog, a pit bull named Isaboo, is featured prominently.

Best of all? Some great recipes you can cook for your dog. Like these Mini Muttballs with Ditalini.

Get cooking!

4th of July Safety for Pets

This time of year is stressful for people and their pets. The sound of even distant firecrackers can make our loved ones anxious and fretful. And if you're like me, you might find yourself locked in the house on the 4th, with curtains drawn, windows closed, and music playing, to shield the furkids from the noise.

The fine folks at the Humane Society & SPCA of Sonoma County shared these reminders about 4th of July safety:

• Pets should be kept indoors. Do not take your dog with you to fireworks displays.
• The sound of firecrackers and other noisemakers can cause animals to flee. Dogs may dig, climb and do whatever it takes to escape from the yard, and cats often hide under houses, in garages or wander off for days, even weeks.
• Pet I.D. Tags should be updated and worn at all times. A microchip is an extra precaution.
• Matches are harmful if swallowed. Be sure to place used and unused matches out of reach from pets – this includes sparkler sticks and other remains from firecrackers, etc.
• Scraps from the picnic BBQ are a no-no for pets. Greasy foods can cause stomach upset, vomiting and diarrhea. Plus, animals can choke on the bones, or they may get lodged in their intestinal tract.
• Pets can act aggressive when fearful. Your pet may not normally growl, bark, scratch or bite at strangers or family members, but during this stressful time, they may surprise you. It’s best to keep them in a safe and secure room away from the noise and activity.
• A car is not a safe place for your pet. If you plan on going out to see the fireworks, it’s best to leave your pet at home in an escape-proof area.

Remember to keep your pets safe.

What's a Lost Pound Worth?

Ok, in New York they do everything a bit different. New York Magazine just published an article about an obese Chihuahua named Lola who tried every expensive weight-loss trick in the New York book. Spending several thousand dollars only took her down one pound (how discouraging!). Lola's owner, Pamela Arconti, got Lola into this mess by giving in to Lola's begging, and things grew-literally-from there. By the time Arconti started Lola on her weight loss jouney she weighed more than 16 pounds--about 2-3 times the usual weight for her breed.

Read about Lola's weight loss journey in Fat is a Four-Legged Word.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of foxtails!

Summer is upon us, and with it comes all those great summer activities: hiking through the fields, running through the fields, rolling in the fields...you and your hound will come home with great memories, and if you live in the East Bay, you might also come home with a forest of foxtails. These little bits of plant detritus will stick in your dog's fur, ears, nose, and deep in the webbing between her toes.

I just spent $160 at the vet (including sedation that left my poor dog stoned for the rest of the day) to have a cubic foot of foxtails removed from my dog's sore ear. Do yourself a favor and remember to do some fine grooming at the end of a day in the tall grasses. My vet also suggested shaving your dog's feet up to the ankle to better see the stickers getting wedged between her toes, but fifteen minutes poking around her feet in the evening might be a better option for both of you.

Pet Food Recall: If You're Not Confused, You're Not Listening

I don't know about you, but I am feeling a bit battered by the ongoing news about the pet food recall. Now that we know at least one of the contaminants is also in the human food system, even those of us who feed super premium or raw home made diets to our dogs have to run back to our cupboards, read ingredient lists and wonder about some of the ingredients in the foods we eat.

The teams at Itchmo and Pet Connection have been doing a commendable job, not only keeping the lastest recall news on their blogs, but also talking with media and advocating for pet food safety. Our friend Christie Keith also wrote this excellent summary for her SF Gate "Your Whole Pet" column.

Money quote:

From one to two -- or more -- suspect ingredients, which may or may not be listed on the label. From one manufacturer to many. From a manufacturing period of a few weeks to one of several months, to new worries that it might cover years. An FDA that's at best slow in communicating what it knows and, at worst, more interested in protecting corporations than the public. Does anyone really wonder why pet owner and consumer confidence is shaken?

As I said recently to someone in another context "If you're not confused, you're not listening." But at least Christie gives us a good summary to clarify what's up to date. Stay tuned for more.

Wag Psychology

Left, right, left, right... what does your dog's wag say about what she's really feeling?

The New York Times has an article on some interesting research that showed that good stuff--like owners, cats, and such--generate wags pronouncedly to the right, whereas things that cause fear prompt a decidedly leftward wag.

Money quote:

When the dogs saw their owners, their tails all wagged vigorously with a bias to the right side of their bodies, Dr. Vallortigara said. Their tails wagged moderately, again more to the right, when faced with an unfamiliar human. Looking at the cat, a four-year-old male whose owners volunteered him for the experiment, the dogs’ tails again wagged more to the right but in a lower amplitude.

When the dogs looked at an aggressive, unfamiliar dog — a large Belgian shepherd Malinois — their tails all wagged with a bias to the left side of their bodies.

Read on.

FETCH Readers Speak Out on Pet Food Recall

In a non-scientific, informal survey, we asked FETCH readers to tell us if the pet food recall had changed their thoughts or behaviors around how they feed their pets. We got a lot of interesting responses, with fewer respondents saying they'd made changes than we expected. My own interpretation is that because so many FETCH readers already fed premium foods and/or homemade diets, that they don’t feel the need to make huge changes.

Fourteen percent of the respondents said they had been feeding their pets a food that was involved in the recall. Our respondents were mostly dog owners (86%) but with so many multi-species households, 64% also reported having cats as well.

When asked if the recall had changed their thoughts around feeding their pets, 36% said no, 57% said yes, and 7% were still researching the issue. "The recall has made me feel less comfortable about what is on the shelves…. We do not have to do the home made or raw foods for our canine and feline companions but we do need to ask questions about what is in the packaged foods that are available," noted one respondent. "We need to be more aware consumers for them since we are their voices and they depend on us."

Only 24% said that they had changed how they feed their pets since the recall. The most common change reported was switching brands, with the second most common change was adding or switching to homemade cooked or raw diets.

Our survey respondents indicated a heightened awareness of the pet food recall as being about global food and economic isses. 

"When this tragedy came to light, it is clear that this pet food company made a decision to use a supplier in China to save money... and to make more profits for themselves," said one respondent. Another noted, "This should send a message about using food products from China. Any country that would slaughter pet dogs rather than give them rabies vaccinations certainly has no regard for companion animals."

Some respondents also expressed a sense of guilt over feeding their pets the contaminated food. "I know the difference between good food and bad food and I blame myself for not reading the ingredients list; I should have known better," said one respondent.

Thanks to all who responded to our survey; we appreciate the input from our readers. --SLL

The Fight for Truth, Part 2

Now the FDA is saying there MAY BE tainted dry food too. What brand(s), you ask? Oh, they're not telling us that... so you're on your own. And they're still denying that there may be more than a handful of pet deaths related to the original recall. But where's the recall on the potentially hazardous dry food?

Christie has more on Dogged.

Meanwhile, this may be brewing up to be MUCH bigger than anyone thought in the early days... with hundreds, if not thousands of pet deaths and calls for (we can hope) major reform in the regulation of the pet food industry.