Protect your Pets on Howl-O-Ween
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Keep your Pet away from the front door. Dogs in particular may feel the need to protect their home and may be more likely to bite any visitors who appear out of the ordinary. Ensure decorations cannot be pulled down. Your Pet could become injured by or even entangled in decorations, so make sure you keep them Pet-friendly. Do not take your cat or dog with you in the car while your kids go trick-or-treating. It can be very frightening to a Pet to sit in a dark car while scary creatures of every size and shape walk by. A Pet that is normally friendly can become aggressive and protective.
 Do not give your Pet candy.
Chocolate contains theo bromine, a substance that can be lethal if ingested by your Pet.
Stick on caramel apples can be swallowed and cause choking or damage to internal organs.
Packaging can cause choking or intestinal blockage. Foil wrappers can become as dangerous as razors when swallowed.
Keep your Pet inside. There are plenty of stories of vicious pranksters who have teased, injured, or even stolen Pets that are left in their yards. Make sure your Pet is safely inside your home.
Can Cats and Dogs Catch Swine Flu?
ASPCA®
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Pet parents of dogs and cats can relax for now, say ASPCA veterinarians. While the 2009 H1N1 virus—a faster moving and possibly more debilitating strain of influenza than the typical seasonal flu—has become an international concern, the virus, referred to as swine flu when first identified, appears to present little risk of infecting dogs and cats. However, viruses can mutate quickly and taking important preventative measures remains essential.
“Many species can become infected with influenza viruses, but the current 2009 H1N1 virus, which is a mixture of genetic material from different species, has not been identified in animal populations in the United States to date,” says Dr. Miranda Spindel, Director of ASPCA Veterinary Outreach. “These viruses are notoriously unpredictable, though, and it is important that we remain vigilant.”
In terms of other animals who are susceptible, Dr. Spindel warns that influenza or flu viruses are occasionally transmitted from people to pigs, and the 2009 H1N1 virus has also been identified in turkeys. Pet parents of Vietnamese Potbellies, African Pygmies and other pet pigs should monitor their animals' health closely, notify their veterinarian of any signs of illness and speak to their veterinarian about influenza type A vaccines. And ferrets are susceptible to most human flu viruses, so pet parents should take extra care to prevent exposure of pet ferrets to people or other ferrets with flu symptoms.
Meanwhile, flu season is upon us and pet parents should take common-sense preventative measures to keep their dogs and cats healthy:
- If your dog is exhibiting flu-like symptoms, including coughing, nasal discharge or fever (normal dog and cat temperature is 101 to 102.5 degrees), play it safe and avoid taking him to places like dog parks, where he can pass on germs or come in contact with unvaccinated or sick dogs.
- Avoid letting your cat roam freely outside
- If your dog comes into frequent contact with other dogs or is kept in a kennel, the ASPCA recommends that you discuss with your veterinarian whether vaccination against canine influenza may be appropriate. Note: canine influenza and H1N1 are not the same virus.
- Talk to your vet about what flu vaccines are currently available, and be sure all your pets get vaccinated!
- Don't let your pet share water bowls, food dishes or toys with other animals.
- Make sure your pet is eating, drinking and playing as he normally does each day. If you notice your pet behaving unusually, or if he has flu-like symptoms, check in with your veterinarian immediately.
WHY I LIKE MY DOGS
PEGGY DREXLER
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 In a world where truth can be situational and trust used to calculated advantage, I'm reminded every day why I like my dogs. They're names are Stuart and Polly. They are yellow Labs. And they're real. Their needs are simple, and their affection is constant. They love me whether they're at home or on the road, squeezed into the back seat of the car. My daughter might be behind closed doors buried in Facebook, and my husband working the keys of his BlackBerry like Mozart. But they greet me with the same wiggling abandon whether I've been gone five minutes or five hours. They don't care what I look like, what kind of mood I'm in. They are what they are - day after day. Polly is a 3-year-old puppy with big soulful eyes that allow her to get away with more than she should. She has plenty of what the hunting dog people call drive. She sees what she wants and goes for it - even food on the street, which I often end up prying out of her determined jaws. Hide something from her, and she's still looking for it hours later. Stuart lets the world come to him. His repertoire of tricks peaked at sit. But only when there is food involved. Call Stuart, and he gives you that level stare that says, "Make me an offer." He's a slacker, but it works for him. I know the argument. These critters that I have anthropomorphized into furry personalities are just doing what eons of evolution have equipped them to do so well - be exactly what I want them to be. There is truth to that. Do the math. There are 10,000 wolves left in the United States, and 60 million dogs. Dogs have learned to play the game. But you have to own - and love - a dog to understand the insignificance of scientific explanation. Dogs are what they are. Why means nothing. I will even argue that if more of us realized that, we might see some improvement in the fact that a third of Americans report regular and extreme levels of stress. The recent Harris Interactive study that quantified stressed-out Americans focused on immediate and personal causes - like jobs, household budgets and dwindling personal time. And those pressures are all very real. But those issues are spikes in an ever-elevating baseline of stress that comes from issues that are beyond our control, but impact our lives. Our stress hormones are telling us to fight or flee or both. But it's hard to choose when there is a crackling disconnect between what we hear and what we see. A war that ranks among the greatest policy blunders in American history drags on without a hint of an exit strategy. The two men who supervised the attack that instigated that war remain free, taunting and threatening the Western world from parts unknown. Relentlessly rising gas prices caused by the ever-mysterious and convenient "market forces" are putting companies out of business and causing consumers to choose between travel and food. Food prices have turned the simple act of feeding a family into a budget issue. A flood of easy-money mortgages ignored by the rating agencies that vouched for their quality are drowning whole neighborhoods in foreclosures. After decades of talk, blame and dithering, medical costs continue to spiral up along with the numbers of uninsured. Through it all, our president "understands" the frustrations of the American people, while taking every opportunity to blame someone else - anybody else. The Democratic Congress voted in to create change has proved to be, well, a Democratic Congress - almost comically unable to agree, organize or move forward on even the simplest issues. As people watch forces beyond their control change their lives in ways they never anticipated, there is a creeping dread that the world is running on a basic rule: You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time - and that's good enough to start a war or make some money. But when Polly and Stuart sit there in all their simple purity, giving me what our family calls "the look," I know what they are. I know how they feel about me. I bask in an artifice that extends only to snagging a piece of bread left too close to the edge of the counter. Every day they remind me who I am. And dogs don't lie.
Peggy Drexler is an assistant professor of psychology at Cornell University.
This article appeared on page B - 7 of the San Francisco Chronicle
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