Moral dilemma - Your pet needs lifesaving veterinary care and you can't afford it. What would you do?

That was a situation a Minnesota woman was recently faced with.

She was a small 'back-yard' breeder of Shih Tzu's and one of her 3 week-old puppies was struggling to live.

She brought the puppy to her regular vet to find out what the problem was.

Her vet gave her four options -

1. Run costly tests to determine what was ailing the puppy.
2. Take the puppy home with some medication and hope it gets better.
3. Euthanize it.
4. Turn the puppy over to the vet, just pay for services rendered to that point and the vet would try and save the animal.

She chose option #4, and that's when things started going wrong for everyone.........

Click HERE to go to "Moral dilemma - can't afford emergency vet services "

What do puppy mills and cigarette companies have in common?

In the past several weeks I noticed that I was reading story after story on puppy mills, laws about puppy mills, rescues from puppy mills, arrests at puppy mills, adoptions from puppy mills AND I was reading story after story on cigarettes, Obama signs a tobacco law, cash strapped states levey .50, .80, 1.50 per pack tax on cigarettes, a plan is underway to ban all smoking in the military.

Yes, puppy mills and cigarette companies are very unpopular subjects and are the target of many groups. Here are a sample of a few of the headlines making news for puppy mills from just the past few weeks:

Living with shame-Missouri fed up with reputation as puppy mill state

California Puppy Mill Bill Goes Before Senate Panel

Humane Society says local store still buying puppies from puppy mill

500 Dogs Seized from Puppy Mill (Bowie Texas)
Texas Humane Legislation Network Calls for Puppy Mill Crackdown

Tennessee Governor Signs Bill to Combat Abuse in Puppy Mills

Missouri takes legal action against puppy mills

Carroll Co. dog breeder accused of running puppy mill must close ..

And here are some on cigarettes:

Debate over hefty cigarette tax hike heats up

State-Specific Prevalence and Trends in Adult Cigarette Smoking ...

Study recommends total ban on smoking for soldiers
War on smoking: Report calls for military to phase out tobacco ...

Obama signs landmark tobacco law
Shocking images deter cigarette smokers: WHO

Poll shows broad support for tobacco tax increase
More than seven out of 10 California voters support a $1.50-per-pack increase in the state cigarette tax as a way to narrow the state's ...
Most Californians clamor for a tobacco tax increase BloggingStocks
Polls show bipartisan voter support for tobacco tax Ventura County Star

Yes, both Puppy Mills and cigarettes are unpopular with almost everyone, and for good reason. And if we can predict the future by headlines, both of them are going to be legislated out of existence.

Puppy mills usually have deplorable living conditions for their 'breeding stock' and the puppies that come from them often are genetically flawed. And those flaws typically turn into serious health problems and even death as a result of inbreeding and poor living conditions. (just read a few of the linked articles if you're not familiar with puppy mill conditions).

I've had many experiences with pet owners who bought an adorable puppy from a breeder or pet store only to have illness and expensive vet bills, suffering and a shortened life result. I've seen so much suffering as a result of puppy mills.....just horrible, horrible suffering by both dog and owner.

Puppy mills are inhumane to the extreme - and the poor animals have no say in being part of a puppy mill. Who does have a say are people who buy from them.

Cigarettes also only have ultimate bad effects on smokers and those around them. There is no good effect that they produce (and you can probably tell by now that I am not a smoker. I hate smoking).

Both of these activites are around because of a common thing. There is a market for what is being produced by them. For puppy mills, it is from unscrupulous breeders and pet stores who knowingly purchase the puppies. For cigarette companies, it is the people who buy tobacco as cigarettes, cigars, etc.

But I'm only happy if one of these two activities is eradicated through legislation.

Puppy mills. Since it is often hard to tell where that adorable puppy came from unless you happen to know the parents, too many pet owners wind up with a puppy mill puppy because of lies and deceit. They are not CHOOSING to give business to a puppy mill.

Cigarettes on the other hand are a lifestyle choice. If people chose not to smoke, there would be no market for them and cigarette companies would go out of business.

But I don't think the government has a right to say what a person can or can not do on their own and I don't think that taxing or legislating tobacco is the way to get people to stop smoking.

Smoking is a choice and people who smoke choose to smoke and when they stop, they CHOOSE to stop.

And speaking of that choice, here is one of the BEST HEADLINES I've read in awhile on this very subject:

Study finds pet owners who smoke will try to quit for animals' health . Now that's a win-win headline for all concerned, don't you think?

Tell me what you think by commenting below:

To yours and your pet's health,

Adam
VetLocator.com

Swine Flu - People are asking, "Can my pet get it?"

Monday April 27, 2009

We've received several emails from pet owners concerned that their pets could be at risk for the swine flu. It's a question that hadn't occured to me and so I set to work to get answers.

Many sites have information on the subject, but the best I found was from About.com's veterinarian, Janet Tobiassen Crosby.

Here are some excerpts from her article and a link to the original story at the end:

"Information about swine flu and how to protect yourself and your family is readily available. But what about our dogs and cats? Can they catch (or spread) swine flu to each other or members of their human family?

Most likely, the answer is no. This isn't an absolute answer, as viruses change, but historically there are no known dog/cat to human (or vice-versa) influenza transmissions. Here is more info about influenza viruses.

There are two types of influenza viruses: Type A and Type B. The Type A viruses are found in humans and many types of animals, usually strains specific to that species. The type B viruses circulate widely among humans.

Dogs and cats do have their own versions of influenza viruses. The canine influenza virus is an influenza Type A H3N8 virus, and the feline version is Type A H5N1 influenza virus. (The numbers and letters after the type denote the numbers and types of proteins on the surface of the virus. The letter H stands for hemagglutinin and the letter N stands for neuraminidase.)

Who is spreading what virus? It is interesting to note that birds play an important role in the spread of all influenza A viruses. From the CDC: "Wild birds are the primary natural reservoir for all subtypes of influenza A viruses and are thought to be the source of influenza A viruses in all other animals."

While rare, there have been human infections from pigs. In this current case of swine flu, a pig virus mixed with a human virus to produce the new strain that is being passed human-to-human. This allows for quick spread of this virus in the human population. Because this is a newly created (reassorted) virus, humans do not have any immunity from previous exposures as with "regular" viruses.

Back to dogs and cats While they both have influenza Type A viruses that can infect and cause illness in dogs and cats, humans are not as similar of a species to share these viruses in the current forms. There have been no reports yet of any cases that have spread to humans or from humans to pets.

If your pet is sick
As always, if you suspect that your dog or cat is sick, please contact your veterinarian directly for an examination and to discuss any questions."

To read the original story, click HERE

You can leave your comments below.  Just click on the 'comments' link.

A Pet Only Airlines is set to launch

We've seen several stories over the past couple of years about pet mishaps before, during and after flying with their owners,
like this one in 2008 and this one from 2007 and then there was the cat who arrived at it's destination frozen in March of this year.

It has to be a concern for pet owners when they consider taking their pet with them on a trip or during a move, and, although many airlines have become much more pet friendly in recent months, many airlines limit the number and size of pets that are allowed on a flight and in a cabin so pet owners have the option of checking them into cargo or fitting them under their seats.

However, pets have become such a part of our families that many pet owners are willing to pay extra to insure their safety and comfort.

Well, Pet Airways is banking on this willingness, launching a new airlines in July of this year.

It is a pets-only airline and they have some very cool pet features, pets fly in the cabin, never in cargo and they are attended to by flight attendants that make sure they are comfy and secure, have regular potty breaks.

They also have special, healthy pet food and are monitored every 15 minutes. They also have a pet tracking system through their website.

And the cost for this special pet treatment? When they launch they have special fares starting at $149 each way between cities like New York and Los Angeles or LA to Chicago. You can find out more by visiting their website: http://www.petairways.com.

Just curious, would you spend more and let your pets fly by themselves to ensure their comfort and safety? Let us know.

Fleas-Fleas Everywhere. What you should know about them

A few days ago the EPA announced it was stepping up its investigation of flea and tick products having an adverse effect on some animals.

Here is the original report: http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/health/flea-tick-control.html

And here is the Human Societies page on What You Should Know About Flea Products: http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/what_you_should_know_about_flea_and_tick_products/

Also NBC in Los Angeles did a pretty good investigative job: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Pet_Products_Concern.html.

So what do YOU think? Have you had success keeping your pets flea free? How do you feel about the prescription and over-the-counter treatments currently offered?

Let us know.