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Kudos to Florida for rescuing and saving pit bulls!

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Florida Gov. Rick Scott Signs SB 772 Into Law
June 22, 2011, 1:45PM MT
By Jessi Freud, Best Friends Network volunteer
Legislation repealing automatic death sentence for canine victims of cruelty passes, individual evaluations to be encouraged

It's all smiles and wagging tails for Florida's dogs!

With Gov. Rick Scott's signature on June 21, 2011, SB 722 is now a law. And that means that dogs who are seized as victims of dogfighting operations may now be individually evaluated and adopted into loving homes, instead of being automatically euthanized. This effort was spearheaded by Best Friends Animal Society and sponsored by Rep. Garcia of Miami and Senator Norman of Tampa.

A ceremonial bill signing will take place on September 19.

From May 5, 2011:

The 2011 Florida legislative session scored one huge victory for the dogs. Senate Bill 722 (formerly House Bill 4075), unanimously passed in every committee and in the Senate, and yesterday cleared the House floor with a 99-17 final vote. Sponsored by a team of three bipartisan lawmakers – Representatives Luis Garcia and Jeff Brandes, and Senator Jim Norman – this legislation supports what we already know: rarely is an abused animal beyond redemption and no breed is inherently dangerous.

“In a year in which the State has gone after many of Florida’s most vulnerable I was glad to see that we came together as a legislature to stop punishing these abused animals,” said House bill sponsor Rep. Garcia. “I truly believe that you can judge the civility of a society by the way it treats its most vulnerable, including its animals.”

Best Friends Animal Society’s Ledy VanKavage, a nationally-respected expert on pit-bull terriers and reckless owner/dangerous dog legislation, testified last month in support of SB 722. Other animal advocacy groups, veterinarians, and rescue groups also voiced their support for the bill by highlighting their work with dogs seized in from animal-fighting situations.

“We have been working to remove the automatic ‘dangerous’ stigma from dogs and puppies seized from cruelty situations,” said Ledy. “After SB 722 becomes law, we will continue our work to remove this arbitrary designation in the remaining 13 states as part of our national pit bull terrier initiatives.”

SB 722 provides local authorities with the option to conduct individual behavioral evaluations of all animals seized from dogfighting situations and to determine if the dogs can be rehabilitated and adopted. The individual evaluation is not required, but an option for animal control officials.

“I am honored to be a co-sponsor of this bill which allows animal experts to evaluate the dogs and gives these victims of abuse a second chance a life,” noted Rep. Brandes.

Prior to its passage, the legislation received a warm reception at a Tallahassee capitol press conference. Bill sponsors decided to put a face on canine victims of cruelty by showcasing Dolly, a rehabilitated pit-bull terrier who was believed to have been used as a bait dog but now lives peacefully as a Canine Good Citizen canine companion and therapy dog for senior citizens.

"You can see what a wonderful animal this is," said Senate bill sponsor Senator Jim Norman during the press conference, as Dolly laid down near his feet. "This is a dog that has been typified as a vicious type of animal but, as you can see, if dogs are treated right, they're man's best friend, ladies' best friend — just wonderful creatures."

Best Friends Animal Society is working throughout the country to help pit-bull terriers, who are battling everything from a media-driven bad reputation to ineffective and expensive legislation. Best Friends hopes to end discrimination against all dogs. Dogs are individuals and should be treated as individuals. Find out how you can help by visiting and becoming a fan of the pit bull terrier initiatives.
 

Can dogs get poison ivy?

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They can, but thankfully, dogs don’t seem to get poison ivy nearly as commonly as humans. Thanks to their long, protective hair coat, the oils from poison ivy just can’t reach the skin. Unfortunately, these oils can be spread from Itchy Izzy to you. Use caution when hiking through poison ivy with Izzy and avoid petting her immediately after. If you bring a towel, dry wipe her off after hiking (while wearing gloves!). Often you can minimize the likelihood of her transmitting these oils to you. If itchy Izzy has short hair and does get poison ivy, try bathing her in a colloidal oatmeal shampoo – they have them for dogs too!

Material from It's a Dog's Life... but It's Your Carpet, available at amazon.com. More information available at www.drjustinelee.com

Copyright © 2008 Justine Lee Veterinary Consulting, LLC.
 

Constant dog barking: your social responsibilities to shut it up!

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As a pet owner, you carry certain societal responsibilities: poop scooping, keeping your dog under strict control, preventing pet overpopulation, and keeping noise pollution down to a minimum. As a vet, I fully admit to having a lower tolerance for persistently barking dogs (after all, I have to deal with it at the clinic all day!), so I can really empathize with those who have to put up with a neighbor’s constantly barking dog.

Know that there are several contributing factors when it comes to that constant barking: breed, inappropriate training, and bluntly, an un-neighborly neighbor. Certain breeds like Rottweilers, German shepherds, Scottish terriers, West Highland white terriers, and miniature schnauzers are infamous for being “top watchdog barkers.” Likewise, Shetland sheepdogs and beagles are often noisy neighbors too. Beagles have a particularly abnormal bark called a “bay” which even beagle owners learn to hate. Secondly, inappropriate training – where positive and negative feedback is misused – is another no-no. One of the biggest mistakes I see is when pet owners try to “shut their dog up” by giving them a bone to chew on instead. This is inappropriate positive feedback – you are rewarding the dog with a nice tasty bone treat for its last action: barking! What’s better: rewarding the dog with a bone when he’s lying there quietly, as you reward him for being quiet. Lastly, the neighbor. Having open lines of communication on how to best work this problem out together is a must. Asking your neighbor to keep their dog indoors more frequently, or at least when you’re in the yard, is also important. In desperate measures, an anti-bark collar can be used. Citronella-based collars are a very effective, more humane option instead of using anti-bark shock collars; instead, they spray out a citronella burst that dogs dislike. Unfortunately, this only works well on short-haired dogs (in long haired breeds, the citronella gets stuck in the fur!) and certain breeds.
 

Picking the right kennel for your dog

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If you business travel a lot, you may have to kennel your dog. So how does one find the best kennel out there for your dog? The best way to pick a good kennel for your dog is to stick to one main rule: if you wouldn’t mind sleeping there, then it’s OK for your dog to sleep there. After all, 60% of Americans share their bed with their dog, right?

When picking a kennel, make sure they pass these three simple tests. First, always visit the kennel and check out the facilities. Are the cages or run conditions clean, dry, well-kept, in good lighting, and appear to be in a well-secured, safe environment? (i.e., is there an extra fence outside around the perimeter to make sure dogs can’t escape)? If you are visiting cages in a dark, damp basement or garage, look elsewhere! Does it stink like wet dog or feces when you get there? It’s likely because dogs may be soiling their kennel because they aren’t being walked frequently enough. Is water available at all times? Is there protection from the shade (if it’s an outdoor run)? When in doubt, surprise visit a kennel randomly on a weekday or weekend , so you make sure that the kennel didn’t just clean up for your appointment. Secondly, make sure it’s healthy for your dog to be there. Check to make sure that the facility has stringent rules like proof of vaccination (for distemper, parvovirus, rabies, and kennel cough). Does the kennel require that all dogs be on flea and tick preventative (after all, you don’t want to bring your dog home with a flea infestation!)? If your dog is on medications, where are the medications stored? Who’s administering them? Thirdly, make sure it’s a kennel that communicates well with you. Do they ask for all your contact numbers? Do they ask for your veterinarian’s name and number? Does the kennel have a “living will” established for you and your dog (i.e., “If X, Y, and Z happens and we can’t get in touch with you, you want to do A, B and C performed.”). Lastly, does the kennel have an emergency veterinarian and routine veterinarian that they would bring your dog too? When in doubt, go with your gut. If it’s good enough for your dog, it has to be good enough for you. If not, look elsewhere.
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Lyme disease in dogs

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The Diagnosis to Doubt: Lyme disease

Ah, Lyme disease. Not only is it the #1 mispronounced disease out there (it’s Lyme, not Lymes disease, folks!), but it’s probably also the #1 misdiagnosed disease as well. This Gram-negative spirochete (bacteria-like) organism Borrelia burgdorferi was originally discovered in Old Lyme, Connecticut in the mid-70s. Nowadays, over 90% of the cases of human Lyme disease come from Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Regardless of which state you live in, pay attention!
 
What is it?
Lyme disease, an infection that causes shifting-leg lameness, arthritis, joint swelling, fever, platelet abnormalities, and rare heart arrhythmias, is usually transmitted by the Ixodes deer tick (Ixodes scapularis or I. pacificus). In severe cases, it causes “Lyme nephritis,” which results in protein loss through the kidneys (called protein-losing nephropathy or “PLN”) and results in fatal kidney failure – this is particularly common in golden retrievers and Labradors.

How do I treat it?
Treatment for Lyme disease typically entails an antibiotic called doxycycline, which needs to be given for one month. While this is a relatively “safe” antibiotic, doxycycline can cause vomiting, esophagitis or reflux, sun-sensitivity, and permanent yellowing of puppy teeth – and it’s inactivated by dairy products – so make sure your dog really needs it before you give it!

Diagnosing Lyme
There are a lot of Lyme blood tests out there nowadays, and it’s important to know how these tests work. Thanks to a new convenient blood test called the Idexx SNAP ELISA 3DX or 4DX test, Lyme disease is probably a bit over-diagnosed and over-treated. Most vets use this test to check your dog for heartworm, but they don’t always know how to interpret the other two or three tests that come with it – which test for Lyme, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia canis – and that’s because we’re lacking adequate research data to tell us how it’s best to treat this confounding disease! The Idexx test detects infection or exposure to the Lyme bacterium (via an antibody called C6), and this test isn’t affected by vaccine-induced antibodies. In other words, if your dog was vaccinated for Lyme disease, this test won’t falsely test positive just because of the vaccine, unlike the old tests out there. If you’re looking for a more specific test, your vet can run a Western blot test (which can tell if a positive result is from true infection or Lyme vaccination;  a quantitative C6 from Idexx; or tick titers. Keep in mind that in some areas of the country, up to 90% of dogs may test positive while never demonstrating clinical symptoms of Lyme disease. So just because your dog tests positive doesn’t mean you necessarily need to treat them.
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