Pet Obesity Rate RisesOctober 15, 2012 The percentage of pet cats and dogs classified as overweight remained relatively constant over the past year, but the rate of obesity increased, especially among cats, according to the fifth annual veterinary survey conducted by the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. The survey, conducted in October 2011, asked 41 U.S. veterinary clinics to classify adult dogs and cats on a scale from 1 to 5, with 3 being normal weight, 4 overweight and 5 obese. Among the 459 dogs and 177 cats evaluated, 21.3 percent of dogs were classified as obese, compared with 20.6 percent in 2010, while 24.8 percent of cats were classified as obese, compared to 21.6 percent in 2010. The percentage of dogs classified as overweight or obese declined from 55.6 percent in 2010 to 52.5 percent in 2011, and the percentage of cats classified as obese rose from 53.7 percent in 2010 to 54.7 percent in 2011. Among owners of obese or overweight pets, 22 percent of dog owners and 15 percent of cat owners erroneously characterized their pet as having normal weight. Among cat owners, 49 percent of cat owners reported that their veterinarian …
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Animal Planet Star To Auction Custom Guitar Case For Stray CatsOctober 12, 2012The Stray Cat Alliance, a Los Angeles-based cat rescue and awareness organization, announced that Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell” host Jackson Galaxy will attend its 12th Annual Evening at the Stray Cat Club in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2012. During the event, Galaxy will auction off a custom guitar case featured on his show, with the proceeds going to the Stray Cat Alliance’s free public services. Online bidders can bid early here. It’s one of a kind, only used on last year’s national 'Cat Daddy' book tour and in my private consultation business,” said Galaxy. Animal Planet star Jackson Galaxy next to the custom, cat-themed guitar case he’ll auction off to benefit the Stray Cat Alliance. Other items up for bid include trips, designer jewelry, hair salon services as well as pet-related items like cat-sitting services, dog training and pet healthcare packages. The Evening at the Stray Cat Club draws more than 200 attendees every year, according to the rescue. Tickets are $100 through Oct. 13 and $125 after. Tickets are available by calling the Stray Cat Alliance’s event hotline at 310-281-1109, via email at
Most Shelters Don’t Make Vet Recommendations, According To SurveyOctober 11, 2012 About two-thirds of pet adoption shelters did not refer adopters to a specific veterinary clinic, according to a survey of about 10,000 new owners. The poll of people who adopted pets from July 2011 to July 2012 was conducted by the Canadian animal wellness company Pethealth Inc. Despite the lack of a referral, 84 percent of adopters sought post-adoption veterinary care, 60 percent of whom took the pet to a veterinarian within a week. About 15 percent of adopters took their pet to a VCA Antech or Banfield hospital, while 6 percent went to an adjacent shelter and 79 percent traveled someplace else, such as to a private clinic. Of the 84 percent who sought veterinary care for their new pet, 44 percent arrived for a post-adoption checkup, 19 percent for routine wellness, 14 percent for vaccination, 6 percent for respiratory illness and 13 percent for other reasons. About half of the adopters chose the veterinary clinic because of a previous or existing relationship, while 15 percent heeded the shelter’s referral. Twenty-one percent relied on word of mouth, 14 percent based the decision on the clinic’s specialization or expertise, and 13 percent were swayed …
Vet Practice Hits Prime Time TVOctober 10, 2012 So I was drawn to it, like a moth to the flame, realizing all the while that I could be burned…and indeed, wings singed, here I am to report my journey through the new show, Animal Practice, on NBC. We could at least give them an A for effort, if there wasn’t so much WRONG with it! Seriously, I’m an all-time fan of ER, watched every episode, and cried when it ended. Maybe I should have known that I couldn’t expect the measure of reality that ER brought to the screen, with its medical advisors and such, but I had such high hopes that Animal Practice would have at least sought SOME advice in putting a show on prime time about medical animal practice. But alas, here’s a list of just some of the things that were just so, well, wrong: OK, so first of all, where in the world do they work? Yes, we have some large, expansive “hospitals” in our profession, but alas they are typically few and far between… And the large hospitals we have are typically emergency/specialty referral practices, and guess what, they …
Is It Cancer? Never AssumeOctober 10, 2012Many patients never get the surgery they need or are euthanized because veterinarians or owners assume that a mass is cancerous. It’s not uncommon for a referring veterinarian to call me to perform surgery on a patient with a “splenic tumor.” I tend to call it a “splenic mass” until proven otherwise by my pathologist. Understandably, clients often don't want to put their pet through surgery if it's likely to be cancer. But that’s obviously a decision based on their family vet’s assumption. The truth is, it sometimes doesn't really matter if a mass is benign or cancerous. A benign mass can cause some very annoying signs depending on where it is located: a large mass in the rectum preventing a dog from defecating; a large cervical mass pushing on the trachea and causing severe dyspnea; a large axillary mass preventing a dog from using the leg normally. Benign intestinal mass in a 9-year-old Golden (jejunal leiomyoma). These masses might have been benign, but they still caused some significant signs that dramatically affected the pet's quality of life. We recently did surgery on three patients; all the names used here have been changed. "Everybody" just knew they had …
Reaction To Death At Bug-Eating Contest VariesOctober 10, 2012Reaction Varies After Death at Bug-Eating Contestbug eating contest, death bugs, Ben Siegal ReptilesCustomers and reptile owners stepped up to defend a Deerfield Beach, Fla., pet store after the death of a man who had eaten dozens of roaches and worms during a bug-eating contest.Customers and reptile owners stepped up to defend a Deerfield Beach, Fla., pet store after the death of a man who had eaten dozens of roaches and worms for a contest.newslineReaction to Death at Bug-Eating Contest VariesPosted: Oct. 10, 2012, 7:20 p.m. EDT Customers and reptile owners stepped up to defend a Deerfield Beach, Fla., pet store after the death of a man who had eaten dozens of roaches and worms during a "Midnight Madness" contest. Edward Archbold, 32, of West Palm Beach, Fla., had won the grand prize, an ivory ball python, before he began throwing up and collapsed Friday outside Ben Siegal Reptiles, the Broward County Sheriff's Office reported. Archbold was pronounced dead at a hospital, and the cause of his death remains under investigation. No other contestants were sickened, the sheriff's office added. News of the contest and Archbold's death generated hundreds of comments on the store's Facebook page. One poster called store …
St. Louis Forms Animal Abuse Task ForceOctober 10, 2012St. Louis Cracks Down on Animal Abuse Four months after the torture deaths of five dogs, St. Louis has formed a task force that aims to increase public awareness about animal cruelty and prosecute more offenders.animal abuse, animal cruelty, St. Louis animal abuse, Stray RescueSt. Louis has formed a task force that aims to increase public awareness about animal cruelty and prosecute more offenders.newslineSt. Louis Forms Animal Abuse Task ForcePosted: Oct. 10, 2012, 6:50 p.m. EDT Four months after the torture deaths of five dogs, St. Louis has formed a task force that aims to increase public awareness about animal cruelty and prosecute more offenders. "Somebody who does something violent to animals is more likely to do something violent to people as well," St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said. "So by standing up for animals, we are standing up for our neighborhoods." The task force—the first of its kind in St. Louis—brings together city government, prosecutors and Stray Rescue of St. Louis, an independent animal shelter, to work toward making the city safer for companion animals and residents. A police officer, Lewis Naes, was named the department's first full-time animal abuse investigator. "This task force is without a doubt one …
AVMA Convention Ranks Among Fastest Growing Shows In United StatesOctober 9, 2012 The American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2011 annual convention ranked as the 32nd fastest-growing trade show in the United States, according to Trade Show Executive magazine. The magazine factored three traits into its list of the top-50 fastest-growing trade shows: increased square footage of paid exhibits, increased number of exhibitors and increased attendance. Exhibit space at the 2011 AVMA conference in St. Louis, Mo., grew by 15.2 percent, from 40,200 square feet at the 2010 show in Atlanta to 46,300 in 2011. Total exhibitors grew by 7.6 percent, from 263 to 283, and total attendance increased by 3.5 percent, from 8,505 to 8,800. “We’re really pleased that, even in this tough economy, our emphasis on continually improving our programs, services and sales has resulted in a notable increase in our convention size and consequently in this recognition,” said Kelly Fox, director of the AVMA Convention and Meeting Planning Division. “We want to work to ensure that we continue to increase attendance and improve continuing education programs as well as grow the number of exhibitors so that our members will be best served by our annual convention.” …
Purina Invites Public To Vote For Team Cat Or Team DogOctober 9, 2012America's Favorite Pet to Be Decidedteam dog, team cat, PurinaIs the United States a cat nation or a dog nation? That age-old debate may be settled in a vote sponsored by St. Louis-based Purina.Through Nov. 8, 2012, pet owners may choose to become a member of Team Cat or Team Dog via Purina's new marketing campaign.newslinePurina Invites Public to Vote for Team Cat or Team DogPosted: Oct. 9, 2012, 4:30 p.m. EDT Is the United States a cat nation or a dog nation? That age-old debate may be settled in a vote sponsored by St. Louis-based Purina. Through Nov. 8, 2012, pet owners may choose to become a member of Team Cat or Team Dog at www.AmericasPetDebate.com or www.Facebook.com/AmericasPetDebate. For each vote cast, Purina will donate $1, up to $100,000, to Pet Partners, a Bellevue, Wash., nonprofit group that provides animal-assisted therapy to military veterans. The campaign enlisted two celebrities: National Football League legends Terry Bradshaw, a devoted dog person, and Howie Long, a committed cat. owner. "Dogs have been a part of my life since my earliest childhood memories," Bradshaw said. "I can't imagine coming home …
Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky For Dogs RecalledOctober 8, 2012 For the second time in eight days, Kasel Associated Industries recalled a dog treat because of possible salmonella contamination. The Denver-based company Tuesday urged pet owners to return 2.5-pound packages of Nature’s Deli Chicken Jerky Dog Treats purchased at 57 Sam’s Club stores. The product, marked with the bar code 647263800208 and a best-buy date of 091913 DEN, was distributed in Colorado, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The Food and Drug Administration detected salmonella during a test of the lot, the company stated. No animal or human illnesses were reported in connection with the product, Kasel added. Symptoms of salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea, fever and vomiting. People who handle contaminated pet products may show similar symptoms. More information is available by calling Kasel at 800-218-4417 from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday. The recall followed one announced Sept. 24, 2012, involving 6-count, 5-inch Boots & Barkley American Beef Bully Sticks. Some of the sticks, distributed at Target stores from April through September under the bar code 647263899189, tested positive …
