Dog Tip: West Nile Virus, Mosquito Control, Nicotine
The following articles appeared in a recent ASPCA News
Alert, a weekly e-newsletter from the ASPCA. Thanks
to Joanne Goldman and Liz Dietz for submitting this.
WEST NILE VIRUS AND MOSQUITO CONTROL
If there's a companion canine in your life, you may be
wondering if Rover is at risk of contracting West Nile
Virus (WNV). Good news: the vast majority of dogs are
not in danger. Because there have been very few
reported cases of canines suffering from WNV-related
illness, dogs do not appear to be particularly
susceptible to the virus.
But to set minds at ease and educate dog owners on how
to minimize exposure to mosquitoes that transmit
various diseases, including WNV and heartworm, the
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) offers the
following suggestions:
* Keep pets indoors during times when mosquitoes are
most active--dawn, dusk and early evening. Eliminate
areas of standing water that can serve as breeding
grounds for mosquitoes, and remember to recheck after
each rainfall. Be sure to change outdoor water bowls
daily to prevent mosquitoes from using them to lay
their eggs.
* The APCC does not recommend the use of mosquito
control products that contain DEET. Dogs--and cats,
too--are extremely sensitive to DEET and may develop
neurological problems if a product formulated with
DEET is applied to them.
* Avoid using pest control products with concentrated
essential oils such as tea tree, pennyroyal and
d-limonine. Not only can concentrates of these
products cause weakness, paralysis, liver problems and
seizures in pets, their effectiveness has not been
proven.
If you suspect that your pet has been poisoned by
pesticides or any other potentially harmful substance,
call your veterinarian or the APCC at (888) 426-4355.
NICOTINE CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR ANIMAL COMPANION'S
HEALTH
The effects of cigarette smoking on humans have been
well-documented, but did you know that tobacco
products can be fatal to domestic canines, felines and
birds if ingested? Signs of nicotine poisoning often
develop within 15 to 45 minutes, reports Jill A.
Richardson, DVM, of the ASPCA Animal Poison Control
Center.
Signs can include excitation, salivation, panting,
vomiting and diarrhea. More advanced signs include
muscle weakness, twitching, depression, collapse,
coma, increased heart rate and cardiac arrest; death
can occur secondary to respiratory paralysis. It's
more common for a dog than a cat to eat cigarettes,
but pet birds often chew on them, too.
If you or any of your family members smoke, please
keep cigarettes and cigars out of your pet's reach.
The same applies to the nicotine patches and gum often
prescribed to stop smoking. Butts contain about 25% of
the total nicotine content of a cigarette, so dump
those ashtrays frequently.
For more information on WNV and pet poison prevention,
visit www.apcc.aspca.org. The Center also runs a
24-hour emergency hotline at 1-888-4-ANI-HELP.
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Another health-related note -- here is a website to
add to your first aid resource list:
www.rescuecritters.com/cpr.html
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For more Dog Tips and other information about pet care, adoption
and the work PAW does, visit our website at:
Partnership for Animal Welfare, Inc.
www.paw-rescue.org
P.O. Box 1074, Greenbelt, MD 20768