While the effects of secondhand smoke on human health are well known, there’s also evidence that smoke-filled rooms can cause serious health problems for pets. “Most pet owners probably don’t realize that if they smoke they’re putting their pets at risk of debilitating and deadly diseases,” says Mary Pointer of the Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition.

The Oklahoma County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition will host a booth at the Dachshund Dash this Sunday to provide information for pet owners about the dangers to pets from secondhand smoke.

Research over the past twenty years has found that dogs and cats living in households with smokers may be at significantly higher risk from a variety of cancers. “Secondhand smoke can cause oral and nasal cancers, as well as malignant lymphoma in animals,” says Oklahoma City veterinarian Dr. Richard Mauldin.

According to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, dogs with long noses are the most vulnerable to developing nasal cancers associated with secondhand smoke. “That’s one of the reasons we are reaching out to dachshund owners,” Pointer says. “All pets may suffer health consequences from tobacco smoke exposure, but dachshunds and other long-nosed dogs appear to have a higher risk of nasal and sinus cavity cancers.”

Short-nosed dogs are at greater risk of lung cancer from tobacco smoke. “In short-nosed dogs…less filtration of cigarette smoke occurs in the nasal cavity than in long-nosed breeds,” says University of Massachusetts School of Public Health professor Elizabeth Bertone-Johnson, who conducted several studies on the effects of smoke on dogs and cats. That’s why collies, greyhounds and Dobermans are more likely to get nasal cancers, whereas pugs, boxers and bulldogs are more susceptible to lung cancer.

Other research shows that cats may also be at much higher risk from oral cancers related to household tobacco smoke. That’s partly because cats spend a lot of time grooming. When cigarette smoke settles out of the air, it can leave behind deposits of cancer-causing chemicals on floors, walls, furniture, bedding and cat fur. Scientists have identified more than 40 distinct mutagens and carcinogens in secondhand tobacco smoke.

To help celebrate “Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month,” the Oklahoma County Tobacco Use Prevention Coalition is making a special effort to help make the public aware of the dangers of secondhand smoke for pets.

“The best way to protect your pets from tobacco related diseases is to avoid smoking around them,” Pointer says. “And of course it would be even better to avoid smoking altogether- to protect your own health as well as the health of your pets.”

For more information on the coalition or secondhand smoke, please call (405) 419-4247. For free help with your effort to quit tobacco use, please call the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline at 1-800 QUIT NOW.

And moments later, this showed up in my inbox from the American Legacy Foundation and the ASPCA:

If you are a smoker and love your dog, there is one VERY important thing you can do to save Toto’s life and yours too: quit smoking. A growing body of research – including the Surgeon General’s Report – shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke – for humans and for animals.

An estimated 50,000 Americans lose their lives to secondhand smoke (“SHS”) annually and 4 million youth (16 percent) are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. A number of studies have indicated that animals, too, face health risks when exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke, from respiratory problems to allergies and even cancer.

Toxins in secondhand smoke can cause lung and nasal cancer in dogs and malignant lymphoma in cats, along with allergy and respiratory problems in other pets. One recent study shows that nearly 30 percent of pet owners live with at least one smoker – a number far too high given the consequences of exposure to SHS.

In honor of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month this April, Legacy and the ASPCA® (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) are challenging pet owners to quit smoking for their pets’ health. They are asking smokers with pets to “take it outside” or even better, kick the habit altogether.

“While most Americans have been educated about the dangers of smoking to their own bodies and their children’s, it is equally important that pet owners take action to protect their beloved companion animals from the dangers of secondhand smoke,” said Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of the Legacy, the national independent public health foundation dedicated to keeping young people from smoking and providing resources to smokers who want to quit.

The ASPCA, one of the oldest and largest animal welfare organizations in the world, lists tobacco smoke as a toxin that is dangerous to pets. “Tobacco smoke has been shown to contain numerous cancer-causing compounds, making it hazardous for animals as well as humans,” said Mindy Bough, Vice President of ASPCA Animal Poison Control. “Exposure to secondhand smoke can cause many of the same harmful inflammatory changes in the airways and lungs of dogs as their human counterparts.”

“Nicotine—found in cigarettes and other tobacco products—is also highly toxic to animals if ingested,” said Bough. “A dog that accidentally eats tobacco may develop weakness, decreased breathing rate, and could possibly die. The ASPCA strongly recommends keeping your pet away from tobacco as well as secondhand smoke.”

Legacy and the ASPCA are optimistic that pet owners who smoke will be motivated to quit once they learn about the dangers of SHS to their pets. At the very least, smoke outside and preserve the lungs of your two- and four-legged family members.

Legacy provides resources and information to smokers who want to quit for good through a national campaign called EX® – as in EX-smoker. EX encourages smokers to approach quitting smoking as “re-learning life without cigarettes,” which may include putting that cigarette out the next time you take Toto for a walk! For more information visit www.becomeanex.org. To join or view the community of smokers who are quitting for their pets, visit: http://community.becomeanex.org/pg/groups/27185/quitting-for-our-pets/.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

• Jury orders Tyson to pay $7.3 million to chicken growers. (Idabel)
• Brief storm hits rush springs hard. (Rush Springs)
• Couple’s bunny collection multiplying like rabbits. (California)

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

1. Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., has four pet-friendly dorm “clusters” that allow cats and dogs that weigh less than 40 pounds. Snakes and fish are welcome, too.

2. Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., has a “pet dorm” where dogs, cats, hamsters and guinea pigs are allowed.

3. Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Penn., has a “Pet House” dorm, which allows cats, dogs, small birds, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, turtles and fish. Have something more exotic? The college evaluates them on individually.

4. Principa College in Elsah, Ill., has seven dorms and university apartments that allow pets. Students may bring dogs, cats, rabbits, caged animals and aquatic life.

5. California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., lets students have cats in all dorms. Small cage animals and aquatic life can come to school, too.

6. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign allows students in the Ashton Woods housing to keep dogs, cats, fish and rabbits.

7. The University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, makes room for cats and birds in the school’s apartment-style housing buildings. Fish are allowed in all dorms.

8. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass., requires written consent from roommates before a cat is introduced. And the dorms even have a “Pet Chairman.”

9. The State University of New York at Canton is known for Mohawk Hall, which accomodates up to 48 pets. Those animals are allowed to wander freely if their owner is around. Sadly, dogs and snakes aren’t allowed.

10. Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Penn., allows one dog or cat in each fraternity and sorority house on campus.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Is it okay to keep wildlife as pets?

So you found a baby bird, bunny, squirrel, turtle, opossum, raccoon or deer. The nest blew out of the tree, the bunny or turtle was in the garden, the squirrel, opossum or raccoon was in your yard, the deer was laying down alongside a fence….what do you do? The tendency of most good Samaritans is to pick the animal up and take it home with them or into the house. Now what?

First you should know that essentially all wild animals are protected by State and Federal laws that prohibit possessing them as pets. There are fines for having live wild animals in your possession illegally, good Samaritan or not. The penalties for possessing live wild animals can be very stiff especially for birds of prey and rare or endangered wildlife species. Wildlife belongs to the people (plural and collectively) not to any individual …even individual land owners.

Wildlife is held in trust for the people by the State and Federal agencies that are empowered to manage them. To legally have or work with wildlife requires special State and Federal permits and these permits are not handed out to just anyone who wants one.

Permits generally specify 1) the activity allowed such as education, rehabilitation, etc., 2) the types of animals or species that are permitted such as song birds, mammals, etc., and 3) the length of time that the wild animals can be held. These “special purpose” permits generally require individuals to demonstrate a level of knowledge of training with the species they are going to posses. This often includes prior supervised experience in handling them.

It also may require inspection and approval of the facility where the wild animals are to be kept by State and Federal wildlife agencies before a special purpose permit is granted, or renewed. Yes, renewed. Renewal of these special purpose permits may be yearly (Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation) or every three years (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Maintaining records of activities and filling annual reports for the animals covered under these permits are generally required.

Still not dissuaded from picking up that baby animal you just found? Well then, read on. You must appreciate or learn the hard way that wild animals do NOT become tamed through social contact with human, and we as humans do NOT make good surrogate mothers for wild animals.

You say “why not”? First, wildlife have specific diets to meet their nutritional requirements and special behaviors for survival that have been developed over many thousands of years in nature. These diets cannot be easily replicated by humans nor can their natural behaviors be maintained or often permitted in captivity.

Second, once a wild animal has been socialized by human contact, they lose much, if not all, of their fear of humans. It is this fear of humans that is paramount for survival in populated areas. More urban wildlife are killed by humans and human activities than everything else. Keeping a sufficient distance from humans (both well meaning and otherwise) just as with other predators is essential for their long-term survival.

Third, although wild animals, especially babies, appeal to our human emotions to save them because they are so “cute” or pretty, as adults they can be very destructive and even dangerous to have around and they are no longer “cute.” Some of the wild animals become even more dangerous to humans, once they have lost their fear of humans.

So now that you have the adult animal, what are your options? Well you can try to release the animal back into the wild …where they never learned to survive and likely can no longer successfully compete in. You may try to place the animal in a “zoo” or other captive facility where they live out their lives as something quite different from what they were created to be ….free and a part of nature. However, all too often given the shrinking habitat available for wildlife and limited places available for wildlife in captivity, the animal often must be destroyed.

Lastly, wildlife or their external parasites (fleas and ticks) can carry and may transmit diseases that affect humans …especially the children that will want to “play” with them. A wild animal may not be sick when you pick it up, but may become sick along with you, your child and your house hold pets.

For a wild animal that was born in the wild, captivity can be very stressful. A wild animal that is under a lot of stress from handling, inadequate housing, temperature and diet, will have a compromised immune system and become more susceptible to any diseases. This will allow diseases that the animal was successfully fighting before to break out under human care. Our household pets may be carrier of “simple diseases” that they have learned to live with or are vaccinated against, but a wild animal may be naïve to this disease and it may become sick while in contact with our house pets.

So what should you do when you come across wildlife? If it is a baby bird, put it back in the nest or put the nest back in a tree. The parents are around and will take care of it even if you have touched it.
If it is a baby bunny, squirrel, possum, raccoon or deer, just leave it where it is. The mother is most likely watching you steal her baby and she will return when it is safe (you are gone and it is dark out).

If it is a turtle, help it across the road or take it out of your garden and put it in the adjacent ground cover. Don’t put it in a box or take it home to put in your sand box for the kids. If you know that the animal’s mother is actually dead, call the State wildlife agent in your district and get names of people that have the necessary permits to raise or rehabilitate the animal. Contact them and let them take the animal into human custody.

If the animal is injured, either notify the State or Federal wildlife agent to assist or else to provide you with names of people that have permits that can assist. This way, you will have done your best for the animal.

However, if you feel that you must put the animal in a box, or wrap it in a blanket, etc., then, do so very carefully so as not to injure the animal further or get injured yourself. Then, take the animal directly to a veterinarian, ideally one that is experienced with wildlife and has the permits to work with them, where they can examine the nature and extent of its injuries and determine what must be done.

In the case you or someone else has been scratched or bitten during the attempt to pick up a wild animal, you should notify the State wildlife agent, veterinarian, but also your personal physician, since you may have gotten in contact with a transmissible disease (such as rabies, tularemia, etc).

At times, we all feel compelled to help wild animals that we encounter; after all, it was likely humans that caused or contributed to the animal’s peril. Unfortunately less human help is most often more beneficial as far more times than not, humans do more harm than good when they intervene in nature.

Bottom line, wild animals really do NOT make good pets! Appreciate and enjoy wild animals as a part of nature (urban, rural, or wilderness) at a respectful distance whenever and wherever you have the good fortune to encounter them. Rejoice in the fact that these creatures are able to be and live free, and realize that it is because they are free they are able do and be many things that we humans cannot.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

Elizabeth Carlisle was fired from her job at a Petland store in Akron, Ohio, after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals found photos posted on her Facebook page showing Carlisle holding two dead, wet bunnies by the scruff of the neck.

According to PETA, Carlisle commented that a store manager took the photo after Carlisle drowned the bunnies while swearing at them to “hurry up and die.”

Carlisle’s other comments  indicate the rabbits were killed to end their suffering, caused primarily by their care at the store. The rabbits were apparently allowed to “attack” and “eat” each other and suffered deep wounds. One had an eye missing, according to comments posted with the photo.

After the photos surfaced, Petland revoked the store owner’s franchise and removed all its animals from the store, which was located inside an Akron mall. Police are still investigating the incident but Carlisle has been charged and will appear in court Aug. 17.

As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, my girlfriend has a small pet business. She sells parakeets, cockatiels, a few other birds, snakes and other reptiles, hamsters, bunnies and whatever other small animals she is into at the moment.

Most of the animals live in a spare bedroom in our home, including the rabbits. They can be a lot to handle. Proper care requires you don’t overcrowd them. With a large number of bunnies, you have to clean the cages daily. It can be a lot of work, but it’s not optional. One of the things my girlfriend and I have discussed is the responsibility that comes with keeping pets. Having as many animals as we do brings with it the work that goes into caring for them.

As anyone who keeps pets must learn at some point, animals don’t live forever. A house bunny typically lives 8 or 9 years if properly cared for, and some can live as long as 13 or 14 years. When you are dealing with large numbers of pets, some won’t make it that long. It’s only natural. But there is no excuse for the kinds of conditions described in this case.

Drowning or otherwise killing animals because you don’t want to do the work that comes with keeping them is cruel and inhumane. If anyone should understand this, it should be those who work with animals on a daily basis. I can only hope justice is truly served in this case.

- Staff Writer Bryan Dean

15% Hog Grower & Finisher Feed
Agriflex Betonite
AIM Magnesium Oxide 56%
Barley Flakes
Beef, Land O’Lakes Steak Maker Grower
Bi-County 17% Layer Mash
Bi-County Coop Farm Ration
Bi-County Coop Ground Shell Corn
Bi-County Feed Oats
Bi-County Shell Corn
Bi-County Super 12 Plus
Bio-Cube Alfalfa Cubes
Calf Manna, Manna Pro
Cattle Mineral Triple Trust
Champions Choice Mix-N-Fine Salt
Champions Choice Trace Mineral Salt
Coastal Brand Poultry Shell
Country Acres Horse Feed
Crimped Oats
Diamond Crystal Pellets, water softener
Diamond Yeast Culture
Equine Merit Horse Balancer
Farmer’s Friend Vitamin A, D & E
Feed Grade Sodium Bicarbonate
Gran-I-Grit, Mt. Airy insoluble
Herd Maker Supreme
High Calcium Hydrated Lime
HomeGrown Game Bird & Poultry
Horsemans’s Edge Pelleted
Kemin Calcium Proprionate
Land O’ Lakes Calf Primer
Layena
Legends Grow & Perform
Legends Racing Textured
Legends Show & Pleasure
Limestone Calcium Carbonate
Merry Mixer Dehydrated Alfala
Pork Supreme LG Premix 100/75
Purina Chow Turkey Starter
Purina Omalene 100
Purina Pig Startena
Purina Start & Grow Sunfresh
Rabbit Pellets 25 lbs.
Reliance Pleasure 11T
Reliance Pleasure HP
S.S. Dairy 18% Supreme Dairy
Scratch Feed
Solvent Extracted Soybean Meal
Tizwhiz Train N Maintain
Triple Crown Complete
Triple Crown Growth
Triple Crown Senior Formula
Triple Trust 20-15 Red Calf Manna Milk Replacer
Triple Trust Dried Molasses
Triple Trust Feed Dicalium Phosphate
Triple Trust Horse Feed
Triple Trust Rabbit Pellets
Triple Trust Textured Goat Feed
Ultralyx Dried Distillers Grains

Staff Write Carrie Coppernoll

The Humane Society gives these Top 10 tips for keeping your pet safe this summer:

• Never leave your pet unattended in the car on a warm or sunny day. Cars quickly heat up to a dangerous temperature, even with the window slightly open.
• Be sure to keep your pets up-to-date on their vaccinations and preventative medications. Fleas and ticks stay busy in warm weather and summer is also the prime time for heartworms. Check with your veterinarian about the best way to keep your pets healthy.
• Keep your cats indoors to keep them safe. Cars, other pets, and wild animals can all pose risks to your cats’ safety. By providing playtime, cat trees, and other enrichment, your cat will be happy and content to stay indoors with you.
• Beware of cocoa mulch and other gardening products. Cocoa mulch can be deadly if ingested and has an appetizing scent to some animals. Pesticides, fertilizers and other harsh chemicals can also be quickly fatal if ingested.
• When taking your dog for a walk on a hot day, plan for shorter walks mid-day, when temperatures peak, and longer walks in the morning and evening when it’s cooler. Hot sidewalks can burn the pads on your dog’s paws, so walk on the grass when possible.
• If you have pet rabbits, be sure to keep them indoors because they don’t tolerate heat well. Keeping a rabbit indoors will also provide protection from predators who might try to attack a rabbit in an outdoor hutch.
• Never leave your dog outdoors unattended on a chain or tether. Long-term chaining during the hot summer months can result in countless insect bites, dehydration, and heat stroke. Even short-term unattended tethering can pose risks such as theft or attacks by people or animals.
• When driving with pets, be sure to keep them properly restrained and inside the vehicle. Special seatbelts and secured carriers can protect pets during accidents and prevent them from distracting the driver. The back of a pick-up truck is never a safe place for a pet to ride.
• Be mindful of your pets around your wild neighbors. When going for walks or playing in a fenced yard, don’t allow pets to harass birds, rabbits, squirrels, and other wild animals.
• The summer months are the peak season for dog bites because so many kids and dogs are playing outside. You can reduce the risk of your dog biting through training, socialization, and getting your dog spayed or neutered. Kids can learn to stay safe through good manners around pets and humane education.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

• Fish kill said to be natural. (Woodward)
• Cattle drive honors late announcer. (Claremore)
• Couple plan appeal of horse decision. (Coweta)
• Milk glut squeezes farmers, buyers. (Missouri)
• Livestock tracing plan is not a hit with some. (Washington)
• Free fishing at lakes June 6-7. (Oklahoma City)
• Fun for kids at Bass Pro. (Oklahoma City)
• Dog training classes set. (Oklahoma City, Tuesday, page 1d)
• Partial welcome given mutts in AKC contests. (Texas)
• Home notes: Mind your wild neighbors.
• Zoo’s rhino getting used to new digs. (Oklahoma City, photo shown here)
• Dog event scheduled. (Oklahoma City)
• Junior zookeepers preparing to learn. (Norman)

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll

How bad is the problem? As many as 95 percent of Easter bunny pets are dumped within the first year, according to the Found Animal Foundation.

Well, this year is no different: Easter pets aren’t a good idea. However, if you’re one of the few – one of the VERY FEW! – who have thought this plan all the way through and have decided that an Easter bunny is right for you, here’s something else to consider:

Adoption.

Looks at those little faces. These are all furry, fuzzy, lovable, adoptable faces of rabbits that need homes. I mean, come on. How cute is THAT? Ridiculously cute, I say.

But where can you find such fantastic and homeless bunnies? Here’s a great option: PetSave.

Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll