A Tribute to K-9's

This is a great You-Tube Slide Show.

"Finding the Right Diet for Your Dog," an article by Darlene Arden

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"Finding the Right Diet for Your Dog"

(Article © 2000 Darlene Arden. First published in AKC Gazette, March 2000)

Click on the above link to read this informative article, written by behaviorist, author, and long-time dog and cat owner Darlene Ardene. It is an excellent summary of the issues involved in feeding your dog. When one talks to people in the "commercial diet" camp and the "raw diet" camp, it sounds as if they are arguing about religion.....Darlene's article discusses the pros and cons of both types of feeding and suggests that rigid adherence to any one method, especially without the nutritional education to back it up, can be quite dangerous to your dog's health.

For more information about Darlene Arden, go to her web site, www.darlenearden.com or visit her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/petxpert

Darlene's latest book is "Rover, Get Off Her Leg!" - "Pet Etiquette for the Dog Who Pees on Your Rug, Steals the Roast, and Poops in Improper Places." - (available at www.amazon.com) For more information about this informative, irreverent book, go to Darlene's "room" in The Red Room, an online writer's community (www.redroom.com) - http://www.redroom.com/author/darlene-arden/bio.

As an aside (and this is strictly from a dog's perspective, since it's MY journal and I AM a dog!), she's a really nice person. Shhhh......Don't tell anyone that I was the one who said this, since German shepherds are supposed to be aloof with people outside their family. I wouldn't want to tarnish my image.

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Flu Vaccine?? Don't Jump on This One Right Away

The New York Times published this article about a newly FDA approved vaccine against canine Influenza (Flu).
New York Times Article (June 30, 2009)
Of course, they make it sound as if every dog with a "pushed-in" (brachycephalic) facial conformation should have this vaccine. However, a recent article in Veterinary Practice News (June 23, 2009) stated that "Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health’s Canine Influenza Vaccine, H3N8, has been granted a conditional product license." A conditional product license is just that--"conditional." The Veterinary Practice News article goes on to say that, "During the conditional license period, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health will continue to submit data obtained in support of the product’s performance, which will be evaluated by government regulators to determine whether a regular product license may be issued. The vaccine, made from inactivated virus, has been demonstrated to reduce the incidence and severity of lung lesions, as well as the duration of coughing and viral shedding." This last statement is significant. It means that it does not prevent canine Influenza, nor does it cure the disease. "It is intended as an aid in the control of disease associated with canine influenza virus infection, a type A, subtype H3N8." So far, although it may play an important role in controlling existing outbreaks in group-housing situations (like shelters), veterinary infectious disease specialists are NOT yet recommending it for the average "dog on the street." The reasoning behind this position is explained in the Vet. Practice News article. "Because the virus is a novel pathogen, most dogs have no immunity to canine influenza. Therefore, the infection can spread quickly through animal shelters, adoption groups, pet stores, boarding kennels, veterinary clinics and any location where dogs congregate." However, in spite of the fact that it is highly contagious, it is not the "killer virus" that the media has implied. For more information on the disease itself, visit this page on Veterinary Partner, a client education site. (article)