Q:Has the surge in pet adoption during the pandemic been all good?

A: Yes. It has raised the awareness for people about what it means to adopt an animal, and I think that was great.

Q: Has the increase in adoptions created new challenges or opportunities for the future?

A: The Humane Society and other organizations work in underserved communities—veterinarian deserts—to make sure people can keep their animals.

Q:The pandemic shined a light on wet markets, where exotic animals are sometimes sold and butchered at open-air stalls. Is that going to have long-term ramifications?

A: What this Covid moment has done is really highlight the fact that animal welfare and human health are inextricably linked.

Mr. Kornelis is a writer in Seattle. He can be reached at [email protected].

Read the full article here:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/pet-adoptions-during-covid-five-questions-for-the-humane-society-11608062379?mod=hp_jr_pos3

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• com

• Oct 30, 2020

Clearly, there are some unique nuances when staying in pet-friendly hotels with cats versus dogs.

1. Sweep the room. Be on the lookout for anything that may be dangerous for your cat.
2. Don’t rush the kitty cat. Be sure to let your cat come out of her travel carrier at her own pace.
3. Home away from home. Bring things from home that will make your cat feel more comfortable.
4. A safe place. Leave the door to your cat’s carrier open – so that she can go in and out.
5. Play time. This will help her associate the room with “feel-good” moments, and it will also help to tucker her out so she can chillax.
6. Potty time. Setting up your cat’s litter box right away is essential.
7. Time to eat. It’s important to stick with your pet’s regular eating schedule.
8. Leaving kitty alone? Be sure to alert the front desk and place the “do not disturb” sign on your door.

You’ll find thousands of pet-friendly destinations like Myrtle Beach, SC, Cheyenne, WY, and Branson, MO. When planning a trip, pet parents go to TripsWithPets.com.

To read the full article:  https://tucson.com/lifestyles/have-cat-will-travel-top-tips-for-hotel-stays-with-fluffy/article_92682663-afb4-5b9b-aa7d-b3834b156c2e.html

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We want your pet to be safe and comfortable on your adventures together, so we compiled a list of the features we think every dog-friendly vehicle ought to have.

Tinted windows

A level cargo floor

A low cargo area

Rear air vents

Cargo area tie downs

Leather or cloth seats? [There is good news and bad news.]

Keep in mind that any time your pet rides in the back seat, he should be kept safe with a properly-secured harness.

To read the full article, go to:

https://tucson.com/lifestyles/pets/shopping-for-a-pet-friendly-vehicle-here-s-what-to-look-for/article_ba6c4b2d-1725-54c8-80e7-5c59d6521e36.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_TucsonStar

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Over the past few weeks of the corona virus pandemic the general public has been wearing face coverings of some sort.  Most often the covering is a surgical face mask of some sort.  And often the person is not wearing it right.  Let me impart 35-plus years of personal experience.

The mask must cover your nose AND mouth.  Not just one or the other.  Uncovered, either orifice may be able to spew corona virus particles.  If I can see your nostrils – no good.  If I can see your chin, that is still not good.  If I can see your lower lip, that is definitely not good.  Wear the mask so it covers from the bridge of your nose to beyond the bottom of your chin.  Do not worry if it is not “comfortable.”  God never intended these things to be comfortable.

The common complaint is “My Glasses Fog Up.”  Here are some tips:

• Choose a mask that has the flexible metal at the nose part. Form this so it fits snugly to your nose.  This will minimize the exhaled air flow toward your glasses and decrease fogging.
• Use tape to tape the nose part of the mask to your nose, creating a seal. This should block the exhaled air flow towards your glasses.
• Assuming you are wearing a tie-on mask, tie the lower part looser than the upper part. This allows exhaled air to flow down towards the chin and not up towards the glasses.
• Choose frames with smaller lenses. These tend to fog less.  Choose frames that do not sit so flush to your face.  This allows some drier air from the environment to flow around the lenses, thereby reducing fogging.
• Try to not talk so much. A lot of air is exhaled when you talk and this increases fogging.  (Also, a benefit to introverts, who do not want to hear so much talking anyway.)
• If all else fails, try not to breath. (Not so much a joke.  I have been in surgery, gloved up, gowned up, unable to make any mask/glasses adjustments, and this was the last resort.)

Remember, social distancing and wearing a mask is for everyone’s benefit.  I hope these tips help.  But, if you are one of those folks wearing a bandit-style bandana, you are on your own.

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Foxtails are the seed from a grass-like weed that grows in California.  Each seed is shaped like an arrowhead.  The point will engage the fur and penetrate the skin.  Due to the shape, foxtails continue to migrate in the direction of the pointy end, leaving red, open wounds, draining pus.  Foxtails may also enter the nose, ear canal, or under eyelids.

The patient last week was a Jack Russell Terrier  who had a foxtail in his nose.  He had just gone into the yard and suddenly started violent sneezing.

The only way to know if a sneezing patient has a foxtail in the nose is to anesthetize the patient and look.  JRT was pre-medicated with Hydromorphone.  General anesthesia was induced with Propofol and maintained with isoflurane via a cuffed endotracheal tube.

I used an otoscope with a small otoscope speculum to look into each nasal cavity.  JRT’s owner thought the foxtail was in the right side, because she thought she saw some blood.  I looked in the left side first, which was inflamed and free of pus, blood, and foxtails.  Next I looked in the right side where I could see the green tail-end of the foxtail.  I used alligator forceps to grasp the tail-end of the foxtail and removed it.  (See photo.)  Before ending anesthesia, I flushed both sides of the nasal cavity to flush through any foreign material that may have been too deep in the nasal cavity to see.

Foxtails harbor bacteria. I sent home JRT with antibiotic to cover the spectrum of bacteria that may be involved.

The unusual thing in this case is that the foxtail was still green.  When they are green, they typically stay on the plant.  When the plant dries out, and the foxtails turn brown, they fall off.  This is when dogs and cats are exposed.  Foxtail season in San Diego is late spring into summer.  So, watch out!

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By 

Jason Gay

April 17, 2020 11:40 am ET

America Needs To Get Back to Work

By A Cat

On behalf of cats everywhere, I’ll just say it: We want everyone out of the house.

It was cute for a while, but the party is over. We’re sick of this quarantine, shelter-in-place directive.

Sheltering in place? That’s a cat’s job. 

Why Not Work at Home Forever?

By A Dog

We need to balance the economy against the extremely valid concerns about public health and protecting lives.

And walks. We need to think about all of the walks.

And ball. We need to also chase the ball. Lots and lots.

We love having you at home. Stay. Stay forever. We promise to be a good dog. Or at least a pretty good dog.

Full article at:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/stay-home-back-to-work-a-dog-and-cat-debate-re-opening-america-11587138058

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Here is how we will do things during the pandemic:

1. Telemedicine is available for current patients.  A current patient must have been seen by us within the past year.  E-mail (or call) with the patient’s problem or symptoms.  Send photos and video (as applicable).  If possible, we will diagnose and dispense medications based on the information provided.
2. For animals coming to the practice, if you would like curbside service, while you wait in your car, notify us and we will come to your car to retrieve the patient.
3. For clients entering the practice, we will maintain social spacing.  Our lobby will be limited to no more than four clients at a time.  Chairs in our lobby are at least six feet apart. You may also wait outside to maintain social spacing.
4. If you are ill – coughing, fever, sneezing, sore throat – take care of yourself.  We will be happy to see your pet when you are well.

As usual, we are cleaning multiple times a day with disinfectants.  We are especially cognizant of common surfaces – doors, chairs, countertops, etc.

To everyone, thank you for your years of friendship and loyalty.  Be safe and be well.

Brian Peterson, DVM

Friars Road Pet Hospital Staff

Personalized Pet Care

www.friarsroadpethospital.com

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The AVMA will keep this page updated as new information arrives.

Here are a few things to know:

Infectious disease experts and multiple international and domestic human and animal health organizations agree there is no evidence at this point to indicate that pets become ill with COVID-19 or that they spread it to other animals, including people.

Out of an abundance of caution, it is recommended that those ill with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus. Have another member of your household take care of walking, feeding, and playing with your pet. If you have a service animal or you must care for your pet, then wear a facemask; don’t share food, kiss, or hug them; and wash your hands before and after any contact with them. 

As always, careful handwashing and other infection control practices can greatly reduce the chance of spreading any disease. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians’ (NASPHV) compendium of standard precautions is a good reference for appropriate infection control in veterinary practices.

Go to the AVMA link for more information, more details, and updates.

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• By Ashley Strickland, CNN

When your house cat trots outside for a neighborhood stroll, it doesn’t end well for birds, bunnies, squirrels and other wildlife. And now, thanks to a new study, we know how much damage our feline friends can do.

“We found that house cats have a two to 10 times larger impact on wildlife than wild predators — a striking effect,” said Roland Kays, lead study author and zoologist at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

“Add to this the unnaturally high density of pet cats in some areas, and the risk to bird and small mammal population gets even worse.”

On average, the study found that house cats killed anywhere between 14.2 and 38.9 prey per 100 acres, per year. That averages out to about 3.5 prey each month per cat. 

And cats weren’t deterred from their ranging based on other predators, like coyotes, in the areas they lived.

“As a result, pet cats around the world have an ecological impact greater than native predators but concentrated within about 100 meters of their homes,” the authors wrote in the study.

Some of the native species found at risk in the study included Brushtail possums  in South Australia, as well as endangered rodents and rabbits in North America. 

“Because the negative impact of cats is so local, we create a situation in which the positive aspects of wildlife, be they the songs of birds or the beneficial effects of lizards on pests, are least common where we would appreciate them most,” said Rob Dunn, study co-author and William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor of Applied Ecology at North Carolina State University.

https://tucson.com/lifestyles/pets/when-house-cats-are-free-to-roam-wildlife-suffers-study/article_5ee1144f-e215-5f4d-aa12-42e31ec02265.html

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New type of so-called coronavirus is possible cause of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan

By 

Betsy McKay

• BIOGRAPHY
• @BETSWRITES
•  
• [email protected]

Updated Jan. 10, 2020 9:26 pm ET

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Chinese scientists identified a new type of so-called coronavirus as a possible cause of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan, where 59 people have been sickened, with seven in critical condition.

Chinese authorities say they have found coronavirus in patients, but haven’t confirmed it as the underlying cause of the illnesses. But virologists and epidemic experts say it is likely.

That is because Wuhan has all the ingredients for a coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Osterholm and other experts say: a big, densely populated city with live animal markets where people and possibly infected pigs, bats or other mammals mingle.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that infect mostly pigs, cats and other animals. They can also jump from animals to humans, and from one human to another.

Seven strains are known to infect humans, including the virus in Wuhan, causing illnesses in the respiratory tract. Four of those strains cause common colds. Two others, by contrast, rank among the deadliest of human infections: severe acute respiratory syndrome, known as SARS, and Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS.

Coronaviruses mutate rapidly, essentially making mistakes easily as they copy their genome to produce offspring.

Investigators searching for the source of the SARS virus first found it in civet cats, an animal often eaten in the region of southern China where humans first were infected. 

SARS changed the game for virologists as the first coronavirus that was deadly to humans. Before that, it was known as a virus causing common colds. MERS is even deadlier. 

More new human coronaviruses are likely to emerge, said Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S. organization that identifies and researches emerging viruses around the world, including tracing SARS and MERS to bats. “Our ecology is changing,” he said. “We’re exposed more to animal pathogens.”

“We have a new coronavirus emerging every 10 years,” Dr. Sheahan said. “As we come into contact with animals that we didn’t come into contact with before, I think we’re going to see this more and more often.”

https://www.wsj.com/articles/virus-in-china-is-part-of-a-growing-threat-11578692839

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