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News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People

  1. 18.07.2013

    Rattlesnake Vaccine

    (Update July 2013: We just got back from a road trip to Texas.  Before we left, I got our dog, Saffron, vaccinated against rattlesnake venom.  I’m surprised how many people still don’t know there’s a rattlesnake vaccine available for dogs (and horses)!  It doesn’t completely protect them—you still must immediately get them to a vet if they’re bitten–but it lessens the damage caused by the bite and may buy you some time.  Please note that it’s a 2-part vaccine, so you need to get it a month in advance if you’re traveling to a place with rattlesnakes.) I was on the Texas Gulf Coast recently walking my parents’ Yorkshire Terrier, CoCo, in some pastureland.  I was being really careful to keep an eye out for snakes, when I noticed a brightly colored caterpillar CoCo had disturbed.  Not 2 seconds later, I heard this scary noise. CoCo had found a good sized rattlesnake.  I got her to stop being a terrier long enough to scoop her up.  Fortunately, neither of us was hurt.  But as a result, I learned about the rattlesnake vaccine (Crotalus Atrox Toxoid) which a lot of y’all might already know about, but that I’d never heard of up here on the NW Pacific Coast. The vaccine is made by Red Rock Biologics from inactivated Western Diamondback venom and causes an immune reaction so that if your dog is bitten, antibody titers bind and neutralize the venom.  The vaccine is meant to buy you time.  If your dog is bitten, you still need to get her to a vet immediately. According to the manufacturer’s FAQ, if your dog is bitten the vaccine should: decrease pain reduce swelling reduce tissue damage aid in a quicker recovery However, there are concerns about the vaccine.  Dr. Valerie Wiebe, Pharm.D details reservations about the vaccine & why the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital does not recommend its use in a 2010 post: insufficient data on the efficacy of the vaccine in dogs dogs who have been bitten must still be immediately taken to a vet for emergency treatment the type of snake that bit the dog may not be covered by the vaccine, for instance the Mojave Rattlesnake’s venom (a neurotoxin) is not protected against In a 2007 update from UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital note that the Red Rocks Biologic rattlesnake vaccine’s “product license is currently conditional as efficacy and potency have not been fully demonstrated.” I think it’s important to point out Dr. Wiebe does note that: …in patients that are at very high risk, and in areas where treatment may be substantially delayed, the rattlesnake vaccine may buy time for the owner to get their animal to a veterinarian and may potentially decrease the overall severity of envenomation. So what to do?  If your dog is at high risk of running into a rattlesnake, talk to your vet in depth about the vaccine.  Voice your concerns, ask lots of questions, find out how long your vet has been administering the vaccine, if there have been any problems, and find out if your vet thinks the vaccine has helped in cases where dogs have been bitten.  Ask friends and neighbors about their experience with the vaccine.  Ask people at the dog park and your pet supply store.  Make an informed decision and don’t get distracted by brightly colored caterpillars.

  2. 20.06.2012

    Podcast Episode 112: Bart & Sadie

    This podcast was actually recorded last year, so I’ll be doing an update on Bart and Sadie soon.  They’re doing great!  Happily we all were wrong about how big they’d be and it looks like they’ll stay under 50 lbs.  A much more easily managed size when there are 2 of them!  Here’s what Bart & Sadie  looked like at New Years. Click below to play. You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader.   Be sure to check out these topics mentioned in the podcast: Black dogs hard to get adopted Manage, manage, manage! 17 reasons to adopt an older dog Podcast on adopting older pets Rattlesnake vaccine Tick diseases Raccoons attack coyoteÂ

    37 мин.

  3. 22.05.2012

    Dog Bite Prevention Week

    So many dog bites can be prevented if people just understood a little more about dog behavior, which in turn means there could be far fewer injuries to people and far fewer dogs killed.  Remember, any dog can bite. Another important thing to remember is that our behavior is based on simian behavior, while dogs’ behavior is very different and very canine.  One of the most striking differences is how we hug & kiss other humans.  In the canine world, just about everything about a hug and a kiss is extremely rude and potentially threatening—forced face-to-face contact, wrapping your arms around them, squeezing them, etc.  Dogs prefer to approach each other more from the side instead of face on, putting a paw on the back of another dog (unless in play) is really pushy, holding another dog down (unless in play & they take turns) is also pushy and rude.  That’s what our simian hugging and kissing is to a dog.  Most of our amazing dogs learn to tolerate our rude behavior, but not all of them do and even the ones that have may react if they’re stressed, scared, or injured. Let’s take the opportunity of Dog Prevention Week to educate others and even ourselves.  Talk to your kids, grandkids, neighbors, mail carrier, UPS person, etc. Here are some of my favorite resources: How to properly greet a dog.  Great illustrated comparisons between improperly greeting humans and improperly greeting dogs.  You can also download a free poster. A great video and article on how to prevent dog bites in children.  “The humans assume that dogs should put up with children no matter what, when even humans canâ€t put up with their own kids all the time. Human parents have babysitters, spouses, family members and baby cribs and play pens to help give them relief from caring for and dealing with their kids yet they expect the household dog to get along no matter what.”  An excellent interview with Victoria Sitwell on tips to keep dogs from biting.  Punishment is about the worst thing you can do for the dog and it puts your safety at risk. Download a free poster on how to recognize signs of fear in your dog’s body language. 2 free posters showing how kids should and should not behave around dogs you can download for free. The AVMA has a brochure on preventing dog bites. Dr. Sophia Yin even has a free PowerPoint presentation on dog bite prevention you can download to use with school children, scout groups, 4-H, etc. The superb book, Dogs Bite: But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous, by Janis Bradley.

  4. 05.04.2012

    Podcast Episode 111: Rethinking The Easter Rabbit

    Rabbits and children aren’t usually a good combination, but bunnies can be great house pets for families with teens or for adults.  Episode 111: Rethinking The Easter Rabbit covers reasons to rethink getting rabbits for children this Easter, plus suggestions & resources for having a happy house rabbit if you have the right type of household for these sensitive animals. Click below to play. You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader. Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast: Snow Nose CatsWall DIY: Cat Wall The House Rabbit Society Binkies Rabbit Hopping Agility Training DIY: House Rabbit Palace Treat Dispensing Toy

    32 мин.

  5. 09.02.2012

    Podcast Episode 110: Cat Environments

    Lots of ideas on keeping your cats physically and mentally engaged by enriching their environments in Episode 110: Cat Environments. Click below to play. You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader. Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast: DIY Valentine’s Day Toys for Dogs DIY Valentine’s Day Toys for Cats Bonito Flakes Maru

    35 мин.

  6. 08.06.2011

    Podcast Episode 109: Keep Your Pets Cool

    Saffron makes her podcast debut in Episode 109 – Keep Your Pets Cool! Lots of ways to help your pets beat the heat. Click below to play. You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader. Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast: adopting a black cat DIY digging pit DIY shade house DIY Green Roof Veranda DIY elevated bed DIY cooling coat fish pops DIY water bowl burned dog feet Epi-Pet sun screen Pet Screen heat stroke in cats & dogs

    35 мин.

  7. 02.06.2011

    Podcast Episode 108: Allergies & Pets

    Hereâ€s Episode 108 - Allergies & Pets: Learn how you can live with both and not be miserable! Click below to play. You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader. Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast: metal comb   furminator post video of cat who likes water cat shampoo—Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe (Safe for all animals over 6 weeks.) heated cat pads post vaccine for allergy to cats post

    30 мин.

  8. 12.05.2011

    Podcast Episode 107: Dig, Dig, Dig

    Hereâ€s Episode 107 – Dig, Dig, Dig: Learn how you can have an awesome garden that can survive your dogs! Click below to play. You can listen to it here and or on iTunes.  We also have an RSS feed you can subscribe to if you use an RSS reader. Check out these topics mentioned in the podcast: The patty cake cats video Gardening with your dog Pt I Gardening with your dog Pt. II DIY digging pit statistics on cats killing birds Green Roof Round-Up

    38 мин.
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News, Advice and Resources for Thoughtful Pet People

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  • Автор
    Pet Project
  • Годы выхода
    2011 - 2013
  • Выпуски
    16
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    Без ненормативной лексики
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    Pet Project