Raw Pet Food Diets

Often clients ask about raw food diets and assume that they are a better choice for pets.  However, it is important to realize that raw diets often contain large quantities of bacteria and may be contaminated with salmonella, listeria, parasites, and protozoa.  This can be health hazard for your pet and for you when handling the diet.  Another large concern with these diets is nutritional adequacy as they may or may not be nutritionally balanced.

Check out the FDA's website below for a very good explanation of some of the concerns when using raw food diets, especially the concerns of salmonella and listeria contamination.


References

Chandler ML, Takashima G. 2014. Nutritional concepts for the veterinary practitioner. In Vet Clin Small Anim 44 p 645-666.

Get the Facts! Raw Pet Food Diets can be Dangerous to You and Your Pet

<http://www.fda.gov/animalveterinary/resourcesforyou/animalhealthliteracy/ucm373757.htm>

Canine Influenza

What is canine influenza?

Canine influenza is a respiratory infection that has been identified to be caused by two virus strains in the US: H3N8 and H3N2.

H3N8

This strain was identified in 2005 and there have been only a few documented cases in Oregon.  This strain does not affect cats.

H3N2

The 2015 outbreak in the Midwest was caused by this strain as were the cases in Washington.  In Asia it has been reported to infect cats, but in the US this has been rare in occurrence.  At this time there have been no documented cases in Oregon.

How is canine influenza transmitted?

Canine influenza is an airborne disease.  The virus can also be transmitted by contact with contaminated objects.  If your dog rarely has contact with other dogs then the risk of getting the virus is low whereas if your dog has contact with other dogs the risk may be higher.

What are the symptoms?

Infected dogs may cough, have a runny nose, be lethargic, and/or have a fever.  Coughing is the most common symptom.  If your dog is coughing keep it away from other dogs until cleared by your veterinarian.  Coughing is a symptom of a variety of illnesses and conditions so refer to your veterinarian for an appropriate diagnosis.

How do I prevent my dog from getting sick?

Wash your hands after contacting a sick dog before you touch other animals.  Avoid contact with dogs that seem ill.

There are vaccines available for both strains of the virus however the vaccines available for H3N2 only have conditional approval from the USDA.  Consult your veterinarian to discuss if a vaccine would be appropriate for your dog.

References
-Oregon Veterinary Medical Association <oregonvma.org>

New Informative Links on Salem Park Veterinary Clinic's Website

Check out salemparkvet.com for some new links to help out our equine patients.  From AAEP there are links for information concerning infectious disease guidelines, vaccination guidelines, and parasite control guidelines.  From the University of Guelph there is a link to a Biosecurity Risk Calculator.  Also check out the link for the Equine Disease Communication Center.

Guides for Finding Nutrition Info on the Internet

It is very common for all of us to turn to the internet when we have questions about our pets and their care.  When we do this it is a good idea to verify the information we find and ensure that it is coming from reputable sources.  Below are some links with some tips for owners when turning to the internet in search of nutrition information for their pets.  These tips come from the World Small Animal Veterinary Assocation (WSAVA) which is made up of veterinary associations from all over the world and the Global Nutrition Committee (GNC) which is the part of WSAVA focused on animal nutrition.

http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/nutrition%20on%20the%20internet%20cats.pdf

http://www.wsava.org/sites/default/files/Nutrition%20on%20the%20Internet%20dogs.pdf

-Jennifer D'Amato-Anderson, MS (Animal Nutrition)