Dr. Steven Hansen, ASPCA Poison Control Center
Since Menu Foods announced its
massive pet food recall on March 16, the ASPCA® (The American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals®) has been
flooded with calls from concerned pet parents and animal welfare
professionals alike. The ASPCA's veterinary toxicologists have
been carefully analyzing data from these calls. Based on these data, clinical signs reported in cats affected by the contaminated foods are not fully consistent with the ingestion of rat poison containing aminopterin that, according to Menu Foods, is at the "root" of the contamination issue.
"We've seen reports coming in from all around the country that animals that were eating the contaminated foods are definitely suffering from renal failure," said Dr. Steven Hansen, veterinary toxicologist and senior vice president with the ASPCA, who manages the ASPCA's Midwest Office, including the APCC. "But the data that we've been collecting do not conclusively prove this connection, which is why we strongly recommend that those involved in the investigation continue to search for additional contaminants."
Dr. Hansen continued, "Aminopterin has been used to treat cancer in people, since it is able to disrupt rapidly-growing cells. In animals, it should result in effects that mimic this function, and these include bloody diarrhea, bone marrow suppression, abortion and birth defects. Further, renal damage-which has been seen in the affected animals-can occur at high doses.
"However, to be consistent with the effects of aminopterin, we should also be seeing a significant number of affected pets showing the accompanying signs of severe intestinal damage, as well as bone marrow suppression, including 'leukopenia,' which is a serious reduction in white blood cells.
The ASPCA strongly recommends that pet parents should have their pet examined by their veterinarian if any signs of illness occur following consumption of the recalled foods, including loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, changes in water consumption or changes in urination. Adverse effects or deaths of pets conclusively linked to eating the contaminated foods should be reported to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html. Additionally, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has a wealth of resources at http://www.avma.org/aa/menufoodsrecall/default.asp
W. Jean Dodds, DVM, president of
Hemopet, is spearheading a fundraising drive to raise $10 million
for the nation's first center focused on restoring health for
dogs, cats and other pets with special needs and during recovery.
This capital and endowment campaign is for a permanent two-acre,
environmentally friendly, short-term rehabilitation facility in
Garden Grove.
Joanne Carson, Ph.D., second wife
of the late Johnny Carson, is donating a portion of the proceeds
from the recently released "
Based
on Marc Bekoff's years of experience studying communication patterns
of a wide range of animals, Marc shows that animals have rich
emotional lives. Not only can animal emotions teach us about love,
empathy, and compassion, argues Bekoff - they require us to radically
rethink our current relationship of domination and abuse of animals.
Enrichment is important to a cat's
health and happiness. Most cat owners feel if they provide their
indoor feline family with good food, plenty of fresh water and
routine veterinary care, they'll live happy and healthy full lives.
But, cats destined to thrive and not just survive need a lot more
says Dr. Tony Buffington, Founder of the Indoor Cat Initiative.
His goal is to enrich the lives of indoor cats. Here are seven
things you can do to improve your cat's environment that are proven
to decrease your cat's stress and improve its overall health.
Everyone's
heard about plants such as poinsettias being bad for your dog,
but did you know that Macadamia nuts are toxic and can produce
devastating neurological results? And what do you do when your
puppy gets into your medicine on your nightstand? Also, do you
think your dog will be fine if he swallows a few pennies? Beware,
the zinc in pennies can destroy a dog's red blood cells. Dr. Fitzgerald
has great information regarding these subjects and many more.
If you have a dog you don't want to miss this!
Male mice serenade females with
ultrasonic love songs, a U.S. study had found. Birds, insects
and frogs commonly sing during courtship but until now, the only
mammals known to croon have been people, bats and cetaceans such
as whales and dolphins.
In a natural or man-made disaster,
you could be told to leave your home on very short notice
and that includes your pets. You should plan in advance for what
to take along when you leave, what steps to take when an evacuation
order is made and what do to when you return home. Good planning
even includes preparation for disasters that occur when you are
away from home.
Darlene tells us some great things
you can do to help ensure that a new dog will get along with your
old dog. First, they should be introduced on neutral grounds,
such as outside the house. They should both be on leashes because
you don't know how they are going to react. You can also put vanilla
on both their tails so that they have the same "scent."
And don't adopt sibling dogs. They sometimes fight for dominance,
and you could end up with more problems than you bargained for.