Pets in the paper – grouse stick it to wind farms
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Helping dog can get you barked at. (Oklahoma City)
- Prairie grouse protections may threaten wind energy. (Texas)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Bi-County farm food recalled
U.S. marshals raided Bi-County Farm Bureau Cooperative Association in Kentucky because of filthy storage conditions. Yes, officials used the word filth. Yikes. Here’s a list of the products that are part of the recall. The Food and Drug Administration recommends people throw away any of these products and then thoroughly wash their hands.
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
Pet Show – taking your furry friend on the road
Listen to Pet Show! Our guest this week was the illustrious Harrison Forbes! He’s the host of the nationally-syndicated Pet Talk show and author of the book Dog Talk. He’s an expert who’s been heard all over the world. (And as a side note, he’s been interviewed by Larry King. So in a way, the Pet Show crew is almost as awesome as Larry King. Admittedly, we don’t have suspenders.)
Anyway, Harrison’s impressive resume aside, he spoke to us about traveling with your pets this summer. Anybody who’s ever tried to load up a dog or cat and go for a road trip knows this is no easy task. Harrison gives us some great advice for keeping your pets calm and happy during the drive.
Our Tale Tips for the show are more than necessary considering the horrific heat in Oklahoma these days. Dawn shares info about how to protect your animals from the heat:
- Keep up with your regular vet visits.
- Pets need water and shade when outside.
- Look for symptoms of heat problems – panting, difficulty breathing, drooling, weakness, collapse, seizure, vomiting or high temperature.
- Don’t leave your pet in the car. Seriously.
- Keep animals that can’t swim away from the pool.
- Don’t leave windows open in upper stories. Pets can be attracted to the air flow and fall out.
- Haircuts are good – shaving to the skin is bad.
- Keep your pets off hot asphalt, which can burn the pads of their paws.
- If you’re boosting your lawn with chemicals, use them carefully and away from animals.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
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Pets in the paper – training pandas or puppies
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahiesoman today -
- Raids hit dogfighting rings. (statewide)
- Turtles slow plane traffic. (New York)
- Three hurt in running of the bulls. (Spain, page 9a)
- Horse races spur 12 arrests. (Guymon)
- Unusual surgery saves hound. (Edmond)
- Frog races have kids leaping for joy. (Oklahoma City)
- Training tips similar for pets, zoo animals. (nationwide)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
What about my Westie?
Here’s an interesting Q&A from Oklahoma State University’s Vetenarian on Call:
I just got a Westie puppy and discovered on the Internet that they are prone to Addison’s disease. Can you tell me more about this problem?
Addison’s disease, also referred to as hypoadrenocorticism, is an immune disease, which attacks the adrenal glands. It can be difficult to diagnose since the signs may be very subtle. It occurs primarily in dogs but has also been reported in cats.
With this disease the adrenal glands (the two glands located near the kidneys) can no longer produce the normal amount of certain hormones, which are needed to maintain basic life functions.
These hormones are called mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids. The body requires a low level of these hormones to maintain gastrointestinal health and to help the body adapt to stressful situations.
Mineralocorticoids help maintain the balance of sodium and potassium in the blood, which are both very important for fluid balance and heart rate and rhythm. Usually this problem results from immune destruction of the adrenal glands, causing the cells that produce these hormones to die.
The disease occurs more in females than in males and affects young to middle-aged dogs more commonly. While it can occur in any breed of dog, breeds such as Standard poodles, West Highland white terriers (“Westies”), and Rottweilers seem to have a higher incidence of this disease.
The signs for Addison’s disease can be very nonspecific and include sporadic vomiting, diarrhea, poor appetite, and at times, drinking and urinating too much.
Another presentation, which is more serious, is referred to as an “Addisonian crisis” and can be life-threatening. These dogs present with weakness, collapse, hypothermia (low body temperature), and shock. These signs develop very fast (within 24 hours) and require emergency intervention.
Your veterinarian may suspect Addison’s disease if your dog has compatible clinical signs, is dehydrated, has a slow heart rate and has corresponding blood tests, which reveal a high potassium, low sodium, low glucose (blood sugar), and possibly poor kidney function.
In this crisis situation, treatment should not be delayed. To prove that a dog has Addison’s disease, a special blood test (called an ACTH stimulation test) is performed to test the body’s ability to produce glucocorticoids (one of the hormones lacking in Addison’s disease). Dogs with Addison’s disease will not have a response to the ACTH injection and, therefore, not produce this hormone.
Currently there is no test that can predict whether Addison’s disease will develop prior to the onset of the disease. So the disease is always diagnosed after signs have developed.
Once a diagnosis is made, if the dog is in a “crisis,” intravenous fluids and intensive treatment and monitoring in the hospital is required.
Maintenance therapy (long term) requires replacement of the hormones, which the dog can no longer produce. This treatment will be needed for life, since the adrenal glands cannot function properly.
The most common treatment consists of a monthly injection of a replacement hormone. There is an daily oral medication available; but it is more expensive than the injection.Your veterinarian will also need to recheck blood tests periodically to monitor response to the treatment. The good news is that most dogs can be well controlled with these medications and live a long happy life as long as they continue to receive the hormone replacement.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – an old dog’s second chance
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Second chance was all she needed. (Oklahoma City)
- Zoo special includes food. (Oklahoma City)
- Golf tourney helps animal sanctuary. (Edmond)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – prevent hot dogs
No, not the kind you eat – the kind that pant and plop down on your living room in dramatic fashion.
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Heat poses risks for pets, too. (statewide)
- Keeping your animals cool during the hot summer months. (statewide)
- Broccoli-snake head case goes unsolved. (New York)
- Reeling in a sizable catch hooks kids on fishing fun. (Choctaw)
- Dog show convenes. (Oklahoma City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – Route 66 licks
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman today -
- Tour to give pets a second chance. (Oklahoma City, Del City, Tulsa, Broken Arrow)
- Company, pair admit guilt in tainted pet food case. (Missouri)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
Pets in the paper – elephants look for love
Check out these animal stories in The Oklahoman since Saturday -
- Police chief defends using Taser on dog. (Hobart)
- Raising guide dogs brings reward. (column)
- City’s elephant pair endure long courtship. (Oklahoma City, Tulsa)
- New clinich elps leash pet count, surgery cost. (Oklahoma City)
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
FDA approves dog cancer drug
Today the Food and Drug Administration approved a medicine to treat cancer in dogs.
The medicine, Palladia, was developed by Pfizer. It’s designed to treat skin tumors, which can be common among pooches.
Until now, dogs with cancer have been treated with medicine for humans, ranging from oral treatments to chemotherapy. Like humans, dogs can develop a variety of cancers. And like humans, early detection is key. And like humans, unfortunately, there are a lots of bogus supplements and treatments out there.
The best option: talk to your vet.
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
