Charity Offers Advice To Concerned Pet Owners At Crufts
04 Mar 2009 – 16:14
As thousands of people prepare to descend on Crufts on Thursday for the annual celebration of all things canine, The Blue Cross animal charity is gearing up to offer advice and support to dog lovers who are concerned about recent controversy surrounding the health of pedigree dogs.
A survey of more than 1,000 pet owners, conducted by The Blue Cross earlier this year revealed that 74% were concerned about the issue of inherited health defects in some dog breeds, but 38% felt powerless to do anything about it.
Furthermore, while 33% of pet owners thought they would be able to help reduce the problem if they knew more about it, 65% did not know where to find reliable information about the health and welfare of pedigree dogs.
In response to these findings, the charity has produced a guide to pedigree dog health, containing practical steps that every dog lover can take to help make a difference through making informed choices and supporting responsible breeding practices.
Kim Hamilton, Blue Cross chief executive, said: “While there is some very positive work going on at high-level to tackle the problem of inherited diseases in dogs, we mustn’t forget the millions of pet owners in this country who also have a powerful voice.
“The British public has voted with its feet on other animal welfare issues in the past and we believe that by making the right choices, every single pet owner can make a difference to the health of pedigree dogs.”
As one of the UK’s oldest animal charities with a network of animal adoption centres and hospitals, The Blue Cross sees the impact of irresponsible breeding practises on all species of companion animals and is well placed to offer trusted, independent advice to pet owners.
Information on choosing the right pet will be handed out at Crufts from the charity’s stand (84) in Hall 2. Visitors will also be able to benefit from a jargonbuster guide to some of the more confusing terms in pedigree dog health – as well as a list of the key attributes of the top ten most popular pedigree dog breeds.
Experienced Blue Cross staff will be on hand to offer advice on all aspects of pet ownership, and a selection of more than 70 free advice leaflets will be on display for visitors to take away.
Debbie Curtis, The Blue Cross head of communications added: “We know that three quarters of pet owners are concerned about inherited health defects in dogs, so we will be attending Crufts to provide as much information as possible so that every pet lover can help us achieve a brighter future for our pets.”
Further advice is available to download free from www.bluecross.org.uk/pedigree and www.allaboutpets.org.uk – the charity’s online community for pet lovers.
Pet lovers told to avoid online scammers
Pet lovers are being warned to be on alert for an online scam taking advantage of dog buyers.
The threat emerged as The News reported yesterday how a family from Portsmouth had been conned out of £716 by an African gang, with the false promise of a puppy being delivered.
The Dunkley family were hit by the scammers when daughter Chalsea selected a cute poodle puppy from an online advert.
Dog Owners More Likely To Share Germs With Pets By Not Washing Hands Than By Sleeping With Dog
Dog owners who sleep with their pet or permit licks on the face are in good company. Surveys show that more than half of owners bond with their pets in these ways.
Research done by a veterinarian at Kansas State University found that these dog owners are no more likely to share the same strains of E. coli bacteria with their pets than are other dog owners.
Dr. Kate Stenske, a clinical assistant professor at K-State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, studied this association as part of her doctoral research at the University of Tennessee. The research is scheduled to appear in an upcoming issue of the American Journal of Veterinary Research.
Stenske said the finding that these human-animal bonding behaviors aren’t more likely to spread germs is good news because there are physical and psychological benefits of pet ownership.
“I became interested in the topic because there is such a strong bond between dogs and their owners,” Stenske said. “If you look at one study, 84 percent of people say their dog is like a child to them.”
Stenske said surveys also show that nearly half of all dog owners share food with their dogs, and more than half allow the dog to sleep in the bed and lick them on the face.
“We also know diseases can be shared between dogs and people,” Stenske said. “About 75 percent of emerging diseases are zoonotic, meaning they are transferrable between humans and other animals. With these two pieces of knowledge, I wanted to examine the public health aspects of such activities.”
Stenske’s study centered on E. coli bacteria, which is common in the gastrointestinal tracts of both dogs and humans.
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“People have it, dogs have it, and it normally doesn’t cause any problems,” she said. “But it can acquire genes to make it antibiotic resistant.”
The study examined fecal samples from dogs and their owners and looked at the bacteria’s DNA fingerprints. Stenske found that 10 percent of dog-human pairs shared the same E. coli strains. She also found that the E. coli had more resistance to common antibiotics than expected, although the owners had more multiple-drug resistant strains than their pets.
“This make us think that dogs are not likely to spread multiple drug-resistant E. coli to their owners, but perhaps owners may spread them to their dogs,” Stenske said. “What we learn from this is that antibiotics really do affect the bacteria within our gastrointestinal tract, and we should only take them when we really need to — and always finish the entire prescription as directed.”
The research showed that bonding behaviors like sharing the bed or allowing licks on the face had no association to an increase in shared E. coli. However, Stenske said the research did show an association between antibiotic-resistant E. coli and owners who didn’t wash their hands after petting their dogs or before cooking meals.
“We should use common sense and practice good general hygiene,” she said.
Stenske said future research might focus on the relationship between shared E. coli and the behaviors of cat owners. Not only is cat ownership higher than dog ownership in the United States, but cats also interact with people in different ways than dogs, she said.
“We have a lot to learn,” Stenske said. “In the meantime, we should continue to own and love our pets because they provide a source of companionship. We also need to make sure we are washing our hands often.”
Source: ScienceDaily
Adapted from materials provided by Kansas State University.
Is this dog cute?
Q: Is This Dog Cute or What?
Originally uploaded by nyominx
Pethealth Inc. Announces Dividend on Series I 6% Convertible Preference Shares
January 15, 2009 by admin
Filed under Pet Insurance
The Board of Directors of Pethealth Inc. (“Pethealth” or the “Company”) today announced that they declared a dividend of $0.12 per series I 6% convertible preference shares (the “Convertible Preference Shares”), payable on February 2, 2009 to the holders of record at the close of business on January 16, 2009.
On January 21, 2004, by way of private placement, Pethealth issued 5,000,000 Convertible Preference Shares. Holders of Convertible Preference Shares are entitled to receive cumulative dividends at the fixed rate of 6% per annum, equal to $0.12 per Convertible Preference Share.
About Pethealth
Founded in 1998, Pethealth is the second largest provider of pet insurance to pet owners in North America, and the leading provider of pet related database management services to the North American companion animal industry. Pethealth offers a unique range of products and services for veterinarians, shelters and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a range of brand names, including PetCare, ShelterCare, QuickCare, 24PetWatch, PetPoint, and PawsConnect. The Company is also a leading provider of pet health insurance in the United Kingdom through its Pet Protect and petPals brands. Pethealth currently insures approximately 240,000 dogs and cats.
Protect Animals During Cold Weather
Protect your pets from the cold and bring them inside your home. A dog or cat’s fur coat doesn’t mean that it can survive if left outdoors in the cold. Give your friend a warm place to sleep inside, away from drafts.
Pet Slimmer of the Year
Weight and obesity always seem to be hot topics in the news. Yet it’s not just people that need to watch the pounds, our pet dogs are just as at risk from the health implications of obesity as we are.
A Labrador dog has been crowned pet slimmer of the year in a UK wide competition after shedding 9 and a half kilos! A diet of fatty foods, and too many of them and the extra weight piled on Oscar, the black Labrador.
A one hundred day diet of water and dog biscuits, along with regular exercise and Oscar is now unrecognisable as a slim fit and energetic pet. Well done Oscar!
No matter what breed they are, all dogs enjoy food. Most of them would eat you out of house and home given half a chance but it is important not to indulge your pup too often. Like us humans they need a balanced diet and lots of exercise.
Throwing a stick for a pet dog is dangerous
The classic game of ‘fetch’ has for centuries been the bonding exercise most beloved of dogs and their owners the world over. However, according to one of Britain’s leading vets, dog owners should think twice before using a stick as it could seriously damage their pets’ health.
Dogs are most popular pet
Dogs or cats: it’s an emotive subject likely to start heated debates between cat and dog lovers nationwide. Tesco Pet Insurance conducted a survey to shed some light on the subject.
In a recent poll of pet owners: 58% said they would rather own a dog. While dogs were described as loyal and affectionate, cats are seen by respondents as being lazy and arrogant!
Unsurprisingly, when asked how individuals would choose to spoil their pets, a majority said affection and food. When asked which pet they would most like to spoil, 56% of the poll said their dog while a measly 24% preferred to spoil their cat.
3% of pet owners would spoil their pets with clothing and holidays abroad and for once this wasn’t the opinion of WAGs as the 3% were mainly male respondents.
Janet Wickens, Cats Protection‘s Director of Fundraising and Communications said: “According to the most recent figures published by the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association, the number of pet cats and dogs across the UK is very similar and as the UK’s leading feline welfare charity, Cats Protection is glad to hear that so many people understand and value the companionship and joy that both cats and dogs bring to millions of households.”
“Our survey suggests that we really are a nation of dog-lovers, while cats unfortunately didn’t fare as well. This may be down to characters like Lassie contributing to the reputation of dogs, saving children from the bottom of wells and dragging the unconscious from train tracks. Cats on the other hand are famous for their evil owners such as Blofeld, and Dr. Evil. However, it was interesting to see the strength of responses, which goes to show how much as a nation we care about our pets.”
Allan Burns, Head of Tesco Pet Insurance.