Today Is World Rabies Awareness Day!

Rabies is a preventable but fatal disease that affects the nervous system of mammals. It is spread through contact with the blood or saliva of an infected animal and can be found worldwide. While most rabies cases reported in the US are from wild animals such raccoons, skunks, bats, and foxes the disease can also affect domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, cattle, horses and sheep. The fact that our pets can catch the disease and potentially pass it to us is one of a multitude of reasons why it is so important to keep our pets up to date on their rabies vaccinations.

Although the whole month of September is generally dedicated to raising rabies awareness worldwide the official date of observance is not until the 28th of the month.. If interested you can find further information about the disease and how it's spread can be prevented  by checking out the World Rabies Day Website. Read more...

National Pet Memorial Day

Words cannot describe the sense of loss we feel when our faithful friend dies. It is often one of life's most heart-wrenching experiences. Recognizing the importance of remembering our cherished pets, the second Sunday of September is the official National Pet Memorial Day. This is a day set aside to remember our departed companions and special members of our family.

One of the things many of us find helpful is to remember and honor the memory of our pets on an annual basis. And the advantage of a day like National Pet Memorial Day, rather than the date of their death, is that we are likely to find solace among others who share the same feelings as we do.

For 2011, National Pet Memorial Day is September 11th.
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Summer Hazards For Pets

Hooray for Summer! But the bright, sunny days of summer can also bring with them potential problems for your pets.  Below is a list of various summer-time hazards to which your pet may be exposed and their relative toxicities.

*Please remember that regardless of toxicity level you should always contact your veterinarian if your pet ingests any of the following substances.

Low toxicity:
-Glow jewelry
-Most N-P-K fertilizers
-Plain Bone meal
-Mosquito coils or Dunks
-Charcoal briquettes
-Termite stakes, ant baits, yard insecticides, and roach baits

Moderate toxicity:
-Charcoal lighter fluids
-Moldy items from trash
-Yard or compost pile
-Diazinon or chlorpyrifos granules
-DEET-containing insect repellants
-Citronella lamps/torches
-Some Spring blooming bulbs

High toxicity:

-Pool chemicals
-Metaldehyde
-Zinc phosphide
-Methomyl
-Disulfoton
-Rodenticides

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10 Steps To Help Prevent Zoonotic Diseases

Zoonosis
Definition: Any infectious disease that can be passed from non-human animals to humans.

Zoonotic... even the word sounds scary. And when combined with names like rabies, lyme or salmonella it almost always elicits a reaction.  Luckily zoonotic diseases don't have to be as scary as they sound as long as we follow a few simple safety guidelines. 

Curious to find out what the top 10 ways to prevent zoonotic diseases are? Hit the jump to find out.

1. Schedule annual veterinary visits for your pet, which should include fecal examinations.
2. Keep your pet on year-round monthly parasite prevention, as recommended by your veterinarian.
3. Keep pets indoors or supervised to discourage hunting, and do not feed pets raw or undercooked meals.
4. Wash your hands frequently, especially after handling animals and working outdoors.  Be sure your children wash their hands after playing outside.
5. Wash any wounds, even small nicks and cuts, promptly and thoroughly.
6. Clean cats' litter boxes daily, wearing gloves, and always wash your hands immediately afterwards.  (Though if you're pregnant, you should avoid cleaning litter boxes altogether.  Have someone else do it for you.)
7. Avoid approaching, touching or handling stray animals.
8. Cover children's sandboxes when they're not in use.
9. Always wear gloves when gardening.
10. Protect yourself from ticks by covering your body with a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and a hat.  Check for ticks after hiking, playing or working in tick-infested environments.  Also consider using repellants.
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This week is National Pet Week.

Help us celebrate the special bonds we share with our pets by leaving us a comment about what you love most about YOUR pets!

To find out more about National Pet Week visit PetWeek.org.
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