As my dad, Ken, carried his new addition in his arms up the flights of stairs to his attic office, the little creature was shaking, her big brown eyes wide with fear, her nails digging into the back of his neck. She had never experienced anything like this before: she was being lovingly held by a human. Finally, my dad felt her shaking subside and hoped Roxie realized that she was now safe. But it became quite clear when my dad felt the warmth down his chest, Roxie was relieving her stress in the most basic way. He couldn’t help but laugh.

A Girl’s Best Friend
Abby Brown

2 months earlier: The ad in the local paper read, Roxie, a Brussels Griffon, 6-years-old, a sweet puppy mill mama looking for a loving home.

Roxie had lived in a puppy mill cage since birth, had a countless number of litters, and the end of her ”useless” life was just around the corner, because the mill was done with her. Roxie’s dire future was changed drastically when an animal protection representative broke into the mill and brought Roxie into the world of people who love animals and protect them from harm.

You may know the feeling. Do you have a companion in your life that always makes you smile? Never fails to make you feel like the most important person in the world? That’s right, I’m talking about our four-legged friends that wait at home all day just to see our smiles and feel our touch.

However, some animals in the world aren’t as lucky as yours may be. They don’t have a house to roam in or a bowl of food to call their own. They live in cages, being bred again and again as soon as they have birthed their litter. These dogs live a mean existence, and have no chance of ever finding someone to simply love them for who they are.

Sadly, puppy mills exist all over America. Puppy mill mamas usually breed from 20-25 litters from ages 2-6. When their bodies are no longer capable of producing puppies, most puppy mills either abandon them or kill them in a rather violent way.

Some puppy mills will have the dogs’ vocal chords taken out so that people in close proximity can’t hear the dog’s cries and barks. Many of these unfortunate dogs loose their feet and legs when they get caught in the wire of their cages.

To maximize their profit, puppy mills often have no heat or air-conditioning, which makes for intolerable conditions both summer and winter for these poor creatures. The dogs have little or no veterinary care and are fed unhealthy food that makes their teeth rot. Shockingly, some puppy mills are said to even make their dog food from the dust on the floor.

Thankfully, there are caring people who fight against the cruelties of these puppy mills. There are even courageous volunteers from animal shelters who bravely go undercover to infiltrate puppy mills and expose their illegal practices. They even go so far as to breaking into the mills and rescuing animals caught in these horrendous breeding grounds. Roxie, the Brussels Griffon, was actually rescued with this method.

Right here in Vermont, we have TARPS, The Animal Rescue and Protection Society in Chester and RCHS (Rutland County Humane Society), which are non-profit organizations, dedicated to the welfare of animals. Their goal is to rescue needy animals and deal with animal cruelty reports and illegal breeding facilities. They both fight to pass animal rights laws and advocate the neutering of animals.

Both organizations fight to bring down the puppy mills and are actively involved in creating and maintaining a caring, healthy and happy world for all of our canine and feline friends.

If you need help, advice, or you want to have your pet neutered, bring them to TARPS or RCHS and they will provide all that you need. You can visit either of their sites at http://members.petfinder.org/~VT15/index.php or http://rchsvt.org/ for more information.

There is an obvious difference between a dog breeder and a puppy mill. In most cases, profit-driven puppy mills may not be illegal, but how they care for and treat these helpless animals is illegal. On the other hand, breeders treat their dogs with love and care, and a profit is not the only thing on their minds.

How do you know if your pet is from a mill or a breeder? If you are buying a dog from a pet store, don’t hesitate to ask the store where they buy their dogs. Ask for an address and the name of the breeder, and send it to TARPS or the RCHS who will investigate it further.

P.S. By the way, Roxie is now doing really well. She has had to learn how to climb stairs, be held in a human’s arms, walk on grass and a hardwood floor, and be treated with respect and love. Her best day was seeing snow for the first time!

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By Christina Boufis
WebMD the Magazine – FeatureReviewed by D. West Hamryka, DVM

“I think people sometimes don’t go [to the vet] because they think their cat’s shots aren’t due. But cats should be seen at least once a year,” says veterinarian Brian Collins, DVM, lecturer at Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Companion Animal Hospital. “I like to check them every six months if possible.”

What happens during a well-cat visit? Probably the most important thing is the “nose to tail” physical exam, says Collins. During the appointment, which can last from 15 to 30 minutes, your veterinarian will check all over your cat’s body, looking for signs of disease or anything unusual. For example, he will examine the cat’s ears for parasites, such as ear mites. He’ll look at the eyes for general retinal health, peer inside your cat’s mouth to look for signs of tartar or gum disease, listen to the cat’s heart and lungs, and survey the skin for any lesions or bumps. “Basically, we’re just looking to see if everything is normal,” explains Collins.

The vet will also weigh the cat and assign a body conditioning number from 1 to 9 (or 1 to 5 depending on the scale your vet uses). “The higher the number, the fatter the cat,” Collins says. Ideally, you want your cat to score in the middle range, or a 5 on the 1 to 9 scale, which means the cat is at the appropriate weight. “The problems we tend to see most with cats are obesity and dental disease,” explains Collins, who notes that obesity is usually more of a problem with older, indoor cats.

Cat Vaccinations
Will your cat get vaccinations during the visit? That depends partly on age, Collins says. Kittens usually receive a series of vaccinations for distemper, upper respiratory disease, and rabies. But cats are not necessarily routinely vaccinated for other infectious diseases, such as feline leukemia. “It sort of depends on the lifestyle of the cat,” Collins says. Even cats that go outdoors are not necessarily at greater risk for the disease. “They have to have pretty much direct prolonged contact with other cats to get leukemia,” explains Collins.

Note, however, that outdoor cats are at a higher risk of disease in general, including viral and parasitic infections, and indoor cats that occasionally get outdoors are often unprotected from infectious diseases as well.

Vaccines for other diseases can vary from annually to every three years, depending on the type of vaccine and your vet’s philosophy, says Collins. “When we’re trying to determine what vaccinations a cat gets, we always look at each one as an individual rather than as one recommendation for all cats.”

Vet Visit Tips
Are there ways to make the well-cat visit less stressful for your pet? “The best thing is starting early,” says Collins. Ideally, it’s best to take your cat for car rides as a kitten and get the cat accustomed to a carrier. Buy a carrier that’s comfortable for your cat. Take it out of storage a few days before the visit and make it a safe, fun place, filled with treats or toys, to help make the trip to the vet less stressful. Once at the office, putting a blanket or towel over the carrier may keep the cat calm.

The best part of a well-cat visit? “It’s so important to have a relationship [with your veterinarian],” says Collins. “We really focus on preventive care,” which can help keep your pet healthy for years to come. “It’s not uncommon to see cats approaching 20. Many live into their late teens,” particularly with good care.

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The image of a happy dog hanging out of a car window is hard to top. And it’s tricky to convince people that their pets won’t mind being tethered or riding cooped up in a crate. (Convincing some pets to buckle up can be tricky, too.)

With more pets traveling in cars, some animal advocates and law enforcement agencies—as part of their campaign against distracted driving—are pushing seat-belt harnesses, car seats and other restraints for dogs. Most of the gear still gives dogs some freedom of movement and a view out the window.

About 89% of pets traveling in cars last year weren’t secured properly, says Christina Selter, founder of advocacy group Bark Buckle Up who collects national data from police and fire agencies. Still, it’s an improvement from 2008, when 98% were unsecured. Currently, there are no federal or state laws requiring pets be secured inside vehicles, Ms. Selter says.

In an accident, both people and pets are at risk when the animals aren’t restrained. “If you are going 50 miles per hour and hit the brake, the pet then becomes a projectile in the car,” says Sheriff Patrick Perez in St. Charles, Ill. “It’s a hazard to the animal and to the occupants of the vehicle.”

Nearly a fourth of dog owners now take pets with them in the car when traveling for at least two nights, according to the American Pet Products Association, compared with 16% a decade ago. The website petswelcome.com lists 16,000 pet-friendly hotels, up about 20% five years ago.

“If you’re paying $20 a day at a kennel and go away for two weeks, it adds up,” says site co-founder Chris Kingsley.

Sales of dog-travel products are rising. One brand, Kurgo, hit $5 million in revenue last year, and company co-founder Gordon Spater says sales of its $23 car harness, which straps around a dog’s body and attaches to a seat belt, have doubled annually since 2007.

At retailer Frontgate, a unit of HSN Inc., sales of pet restraints for home and auto have risen 37% year-over-year.

Booster seats that hook around headrests and keep small dogs tethered and off owners’ laps are one of the top sellers at Solvit Products. “At first I thought they were silly,” says Judy Clark Guida, owner of Banjo, a 17-pound cairn terrier who enjoyed riding shotgun on his hind legs. But after her Prius was totaled, Banjo got moved to a booster. “The car is cleaner now, too.”

Even auto makers are pushing pet safety. Toyota sells barriers, harnesses, and other travel products through its dealers. And Volvo reports growing sales for its $345 steel cargo barrier for wagons, which keeps pets secured in the luggage area well away from drivers. Company research shows that a 60-pound unbelted child in the back seat traveling 30 mph can suddenly turn into 2,700 pounds of force.

“A pet of the same size would become like a baby elephant” hurtling through the car, says Dan Johnston, spokesman for Volvo Cars North America.

There are other perils to unsecured pets, such as on accident scenes when a dog dashes into traffic or becomes aggressive toward emergency workers aiding passengers. Insurance providers Petplan and Veterinary Pet Insurance say most auto claims with pets inside cars are related to unrestrained animals leaping from a moving vehicle.

That’s what happened to Remi, a 14-month-old fox-terrier mix in Tampa. While riding in the back seat of an SUV this spring, she unexpectedly wriggled out an open window. The car was only moving 20 mph, but a startled Remi suffered bloody lacerations on her chest, snout and neck and then took off.

“I found her five to 10 minutes later on the golf course where we live, and she was clearly scared to death,” says owner Duane Daiker.

There are safety issues for other drivers on the road as well. A recent AAA and Kurgo survey shows more than half of drivers engage in distracting behavior with dogs while driving, such as petting, and one-fifth let dogs sit on their lap.

Some state legislators and law-enforcement officials are pushing for tighter regulations specific to pets traveling inside cars. Hawaii bars drivers from holding animals in their lap or letting them be close enough to interfere with the driver’s control. A number of places, including California, Virginia and Oregon, have introduced similar measures, though so far none have been signed into law.

Samson was barely 15-months-old when a driver plowed into his owner Marlene Eshoo’s Hyundai sedan while he napped in the passenger seat. The airbags deployed, leaving Ms. Eshoo with minor cuts and bruises. But Samson, a six-pound toy Yorkie, suffered internal injuries and died shortly after.

“He always rode in the front passenger seat,” says Ms. Eshoo, a 42-year-old kindergarten teacher who lives in Kensington, Conn. “When I went to my doctor the day after the accident, he said, ‘If you get a new dog, get a seatbelt.’ ”

Now, Ms. Eshoo buckles up her new 31-pound miniature English bulldog, Delilah, on even short trips. At first Delilah wiggled out of the harness, but eventually acquiesced. Recently on a rainy day, Ms. Eshoo had to slam on the brakes, “and Delilah was fine.”

-Gwendolyn Bounds

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CORVALLIS, Ore. — A dog diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer is beating the odds. He’s alive today, thanks to some breakthrough cancer research by Oregon State University veterinarians.

Nine-year-old golden retriever Orion was diagnosed about three months ago with stage four cancer, an aggressive type known as hemangiosarcoma that spread throughout his body.

“Essentially when we met him he had all the odds stacked against him and that he’s come this far is nothing short of a small miracle,” said Dr. Stuart Helfand, OSU Oncology Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Veterinarians say in the past, dogs with his type of situation survived only for about a week.

But Orion’s been wagging his tail for three months since his diagnosis.

After successfully removing a tumor on his heart, his owner and Oregon State University veterinarians decided to take a new approach.

“We were able to grow his cancer cells, the ones removed from his heart in the laboratory, and evaluate their sensitivity to a class of drugs,” said Dr. Helfand.

His cells tested extremely sensitive to one of those drugs, a cancer inhibitor called a TKI.

It’s been used on human cancer patients, but to their knowledge, never on a dog. Until now.

Vets say he might be the first dog to receive treatment customized to the unique features of his tumor.

Lessons, that potentially could be used to help treat humans with a similar aggressive cancer known as angiosarcoma.

“So what we learn in Orion’s case may have direct applicability to people who are affected with the same cancer,” said Dr. Helfand.

They say his treatment might also offer insights on how to control the blood supply that cancer needs for growth, regardless of the type of tumor.

This new knowledge could revolutionize cancer treatment in both dogs and humans

By: Heather Turner (Animal Health SmartBrief)

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Salmonella concerns prompt recall of cat food shipped to 3 states.

Nestlé Purina PetCare has announced a voluntary recall of certain bags of its Cat Chow Naturals and Friskies Grillers Blend dry cat food because of concern that the products might be tainted with salmonella. There have been no incidents associated with the recalled products, which were distributed in Oregon, Idaho and Colorado. FoodSafetyNews.com (6/28)

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Thank you MaryAnn Zakeski for her informative discussion on fleas and ticks. She discussed the life cycle of both ectoparasites. She also discovered use of prevention and environmental control to decrease likelihood of fleas and tick infestations. Another topic that the audience posed was the current marketing of Fipronil. Here’s what we have learned. Frontline is a premium branded product that carries 8 patents. It is held to a standard of efficiency and purity. Firponil is one of the active ingredients. It is being heavily marketed in copy- cat products. Such products have no public data on efficiency purity. HVC will continue to recommend Frontline because of its patented safety and efficiency, controlled sales, and product guarantee. The Merial Co. is currently running a promotion: buy 6 get 2 free, buy 3 get 1 free to keep costs of the product comparable to the copy -cat products.

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We will be hosting our second lecture of the 2011 series on June 23rd at 7 pm at Trifecta Kennels. Merial will be presenting the lecture on Fleas and Lyme disease. Our space is limited so call to sign up now.

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Buy 3 applications get 1 application free

Buy 6 applications get 2 applications free

Buy 12 applications get 4 applications free

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HVC lecture series for 2011 will begin on March 30 th. We welcome Dr.Palmeiro , a board certified dermatologist, to lecture on topics that are important to many of our parients. Did you know close to one in four dogs suffer from skin conditions? It’s common. I hope you will sign up to attend the lecture will take place a Trifecta Kennels in Gilbert at 7:00 pm on March 30th.

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ALL dogs require some form of training. They are creatures that live in social groups, need jobs, and just really want to know what to do!!! We suggest a puppy class for all dogs even if you have trained dogs before. It helps them to socialize and focus with distractions. A rule to live by in choosing your training look for a resume what are the trainers successes ,success leaves clues! Are they positive and motivational? Do they use rewards and not punishment–are you comfortable with them? Ask questions and be aware of your own prejudices to learning and be willing to invest time and effort. It will absolutely pay off and give you a valuable family member in your dog. One of the most decorated and long standing facilities locally is Trifecta Kennels in Gilbert. Check them out on TrifectaKennels.com

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