Read the report from COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES-DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH: REPORT

Pet Food Recalls
July 24, 2007

Botulism Poisoning from certain Castleberry's Food Products and Dog Food

• FDA Report

Pet Food recall from Nutro Products

• Nutro

Pet Food recall from Dick Van Patten's - Natural Balance

• Natural Balance

FDA Update and Synopsis on the Pet Food Outbreak

• FDA Update and Synopsis

For more information on the status of the recalled pet food, please visit the AVMA link below:

• AVMA Food Related Links


• Data from The Animal Medical Center of New York City

For a text document with questions and answers on the recall please click on the link below:

• Q & A

Rabies in China
October 16, 2006

China's Ministry of Health reports today that there are a total of 393 cases of rabies in September. The figure is up by 37 per cent compared with the same period of 2005. There have been 318 human deaths.

Experts say that the current rabies epidemic in China is mainly due to an apparent increase of people who raise dogs, a severe deficiency of knowledge by the public about rabies, and the failure to seek treatment by those bitten by an infected dog. According to the report, China is one of the worst rabies-endemic countries in the world, second only to India. Beijing alone has recorded more than 70 000 clinical cases of rabies during the first half of this year [2006]. The official statistics show from January to September 2006 a cumulative figure of 2254 confirmed cases of rabies, up by 29.7 per cent compared with the same period in 2005.

Rabies danger from imported puppies.
December 22, 2005

Karen Ehnert, DVM, MPVM; Senior Veterinarian; County of Los Angeles; Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control; has sent area veterinarians the following alert:

"Imported Puppies

Recently, a Border Puppy Task Force, comprising of 14 California animal welfare and law enforcement agencies, monitored the importation of puppies at two border crossing with Mexico for 2 weeks. During that time, they identified 1579 dogs in 1157 vehicles, including 362 puppies less than 3 months old. The importation of purebred or small breed puppies has become big business in recent years. The puppies are required to be quarantined at the owners home until one month after receiving their rabies immunization, however, many are sold prior to that since it is harder to sell 5 month old dogs. In addition to puppies being imported from Mexico, many puppies are being imported from Korea and Eastern Europe. These puppies are frequently sold in pet shops, on street corners or through classified ads. There have been numerous reports of puppies becoming ill or dying shortly after being bought..."

"Rabies in Mexico

A rabies epidemic in dogs has recently been reported in Cuautitlan and Ecatepec Mexico... With the continuous importation of dogs from Mexico, there is always the possibility that canine rabies will be reintroduced into Los Angeles..."

First Confirmed Cases of Canine Flu Diagnosed In Los Angeles County
October 01, 2005

The Senior Veterinarian at the County of Los Angeles, Veterinary Public Health has announce that four suspected cases of canine flu in Inglewood, CA, have been confirmed by laboratory testing to be the influenza infection that was originally reported in Greyhound racetracks in Florida beginning in early 2004. The virus seemed to be isolated to the Greyhound racing population until approximately April or May, 2005, when testing samples began being submitted for testing outside of the dog racing industry.

Some important points our clients should know:

1. Since this is a newly emerging infection, no vaccine is yet available, and nearly all dogs are susceptible.
2. Infection is probably through aerial contamination from infected dogs. However there have been reports of kennel personnel transferring the infection to personal pets at home. Therefore, any contaminated surface must be considered a potential source of infection to a susceptible dog.
3. Approximately 80% of dogs exposed in a closed environment, such as a kennel, will develop symptoms of disease 2 to 5 days following infection. Symptoms most commonly are limited to coughing, mild fever, and sometimes nasal discharge. A small number of affected dogs may develop pneumonia with a death rate of 1 to 10%, with very young and old dogs being the most at risk.
4. This infection is not directly contageous to people.

Now that we have confirmed cases in the Los Angeles County area our recommendations would be:

• Do not take your dog to areas where there is high exposure to other dogs. Every dog should be considered susceptible since the majority of dogs have no previous exposure, therefore no natural immunity. An owner of another dog may not know his/her dog has been infected until 2 or 5 days after first exposure. Until a difinitive diagnosis is made through blood tests, the owner of an infected dog may continue taking the pet to public areas. Not all dogs infected demonstrate overt symptoms and may still be contageous.
• If your dog has been to a kennel, grooming facility, or other high exposure area 2 to 5 days prior to beginning to cough, consult your veterinarian. Remember, objects contaminated by a contageous dog may also be a source for infection. Although the veterinarian may not immediately determine the difference between the newly emerging flu and the other causes of coughing, the veterinarian can send blood samples for the earliest possible diagnosis so that he/she can determine whether to begin more aggressive therapies. Also, this is a reportable disease in Los Angeles county.
• If your dog has been diagnosed with the newly emerging canine flu, please do not take your dog into public areas for at least a couple weeks after it has recovered.

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES
For Immediate Release:
September 21, 2005

Public Health Officials Stress Avoiding Bats Due to Threat of Rabies
LOS ANGELES - County health officials report a slight increase in rabid bat detections this year and urge residents to take precautions when coming into contact with bats and other wildlife and to vaccinate their pets. Eleven rabid bats have been detected in Los Angeles County so far this year, up from an average of about eight during each of the past five years. A total of 100 rabid bats were found statewide this year according to the California Department of Health Services. Health experts typically see more cases of rabid bats from August through October...Bat Reporting Dead or trapped bats can be tested for rabies by contacting Veterinary Public Health at (323) 730-3723. For questions regarding exposure to bats, residents can contact Acute Communicable Disease Control at (213) 240-7971.

(Note: The issue of vaccinations and type of vaccination in an appearantly healthy feline patient is not as straight foward as may seem. Please review the Vaccine-Associated Sarcoma Task Force: Roundtable Discussion transcript to be informed about this complex issue. My feeling on this matter is to seek out a veterinarian who uses non-adjuvant containing rabies vaccine if you choose to vaccinate your pet cat. There is no scientific proof that this form of vaccine will reduce any risk of potential side effects to cats however.)

(Warning: The recombinant rabies vaccines that don't have adjuvant, may not be accepted for pets entering the European Community. Contact the USDA, APHIS in your state to get the latest information. Other states or nations may also refuse non-adjuvant containing recombinant rabies vaccines as well. Please contact the USDA, APHIS in your state to make sure.)

The first airline reports for pet transport incidents have now been released.

Two important lessons may be learned from this report. One of the fatalities was an overweight dog with a pre-existing heart condition. This pet had an undiagnosed heart problem. This shows that the routine physical exam required prior to shipping a pet will not detect potentially dangerous conditions. This heart problem probably would have required x-rays, ECG, and ultrasound to properly predict the risk. The second incident involved a cat that was killed by another pet being shipped that escaped from its carrier. If at all possible, have a small pet fly with a passenger within the passenger section. Some airlines will allow this.

Cat fleas may have caused illnesses in South Pasadena.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services (DHS) has confirmed three human cases of murine typhus in South Pasadena. They were ill in May and have since recovered. Murine typhus is endemic in South Pasadena, Altadena, Eagle Rock, Echo Park, Los Feliz and Mt. Washington. "Murine typhus is typically transmitted by fleas from possums to cats in this region," says Jonathan E. Fielding, M.D., M.P.H., Director of Public Health and County Health Officer. Read the press release of June 09, 2005 and the read more about murine typhus in the DHS Murine Typhus handout

Airlines to begin reporting pet death, loss, and injuries By Leslie Miller, Associated Press

Beginning June 15, 2005, any U.S. air carrier that schedules regular passenger service, must report incidents of loss, injury, or fatality of a transported pet within 15 days of the end of the month of the occurence to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection Division. Now that this law that was passed by Congress in 2000 will finally take effect, will pets travelling or shipped by air be any safer? No. It only serves to monitor each airline's record of incidents. Reports of total incidents don't provide a pet owner a clear picture of which airline is more careful about handling of pet cargo since the reports won't take into account total numbers shipped by a carrier. An airline that handles large numbers of pet cargo a year can have as many incidents as a carrier that handles far fewer, and appear to have just as poor a risk factor. The best advice about air shipment for a pet is not to do it. However, if there is absolutely no other option, here are good recommendations from the Humane Society of the United States.

Pets on pins and needles By Molly Masland Health Editor MSNBC

Here's an article that appears on the MSNBC/MSN website that discusses acupuncture in veterinary medicine, uses, history, and effects. An important discussion in the article is the recommended guideline in selecting an acupuncturist for your pet. Locating a veterinarian with training as recommended in the article can be found easily by using the directory in the American Academy of Veterinary Acupuncture website. Look for veterinarians with membership type of "Active" (A).

Bladder Cancer Risk

Recent studies have shown that the risk for Scottish Terriers developing transitional cell carcinoma is 18 times the risk for mixed-breed dogs. Higher risk was also seen in the Shetland Sheepdogs, Wirehaired Terriers, and West Highland White Terriers. Exposure to lawns treated with herbicides increases the risk of this cancer. Those that were doing this study suggested examining urine cytology (cells) in patients-at-risk, older than six years of age, on an biannual basis.

West Nile Virus infection in Los Angeles County.

West Nile Virus

West Nile Virus (WNV) is still in Southern California.

The County of Los Angeles, Veterinary Public Health and Rabies Control program will be involved in the early detection of this virus in birds and other animals. Please report any dead crows, ravens, jays, hawks or owls to our program at 1-877-747-2243 or 323-730-3723. Selected birds will be collected for testing to determine if the virus is circulating in an area. Last year, WNV was also detected in local horses, an alpaca and tree squirrels. Please report any animals that are observed with neurological problems or if you notice any increase in illnesses among pets or wildlife.

Mosquito bites can spread the infection to humans, horses, birds (crows, ravens, jays, hawks, owls), and squirrels. Dogs and cats very rarely become infected. Recent experimental evidence suggests that consuming infected prey can transmit the virus as well. It is important for people to remove stagnant water around their homes and work sites to minimize mosquitoe breeding sites and to reduce their risk of infection.

Center for Disease Control Fact Sheet has a site regarding WNV and dogs and cats.

Tree squirrels may be an excellent sentinel for demonstrating WNV is circulating in an area, since they usually do not migrate far distances. Please let your veterinarian know about any cases of tree squirrels with neurologic symptoms. The Los Angeles Health Department would like to know the type of squirrel, date found, where it was found, symptoms observed and outcome.

In some areas of Los Angeles, there have been so many dead birds that the Department of Public Health has decided to stop picking them up. However, there remain some locations in which you are still asked to report dead birds. The areas involved are listed by zip code; to see which area applies to you, you may use either of the following: view the link in html or, if you prefer a printable form, view it in Adobe Acrobat.

Los Angeles Public Health has a site for further information and reporting.

The California Department of Health has a West Nile Virus Surveillance Information Center that is updated two times per week.

You should learn more about mosquitoes and also the count in your area. You may or may not have a problem.

Tips from Dr. Limehouse

Actually, I got this tip from my niece, Dr. Gail Bunyan, a veterinarian who lives in Nashville, TN -- where there are lots of mosquitoes. Pass this on to anyone who likes being outside in the evening.

So you don't like those pesky mosquitoes, especially now that they have the potential to carry the West Nile Virus? Here's a tip that was given at a recent gardening forum. Put some water in a white dinner plate and add a couple drops of Lemon Fresh Joy dish detergent. Set the dish on your porch, patio, or other outdoor area. Not sure what attracts them, the lemon smell, the white plate color, or what, but mosquitoes flock to it, and drop dead shortly after drinking the Lemon Fresh Joy/water mixture, and usually within about 10 feet of the plate.

Remember to stay out of their path on the way to the trap-or they may stop for a snack (out of you) first!

We have not tried this and cannot guarentee it. One thing that does work are repellent products containing the chemical DEET. Although many of us prefer not to use chemical repellants, non-DEET products have not been proven to be as effective.

Products containing DEET (N, N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) cannot be used on your pets. It is not safe for them. Dogs (and cats) are very sensitive to DEET and may develop neurologic problems if DEET-containing products are applied to them.

The use of products containing concentrated essential oils such as tea tree oil (melaleuca oil), pennyroyal oil, and d-limonine is also not recommended. Concentrates of these products can cause serious health problems in pets, such as weakness, paralysis, liver injury, and seizures. Besides, the effectiveness of these products in repelling mosquitoes is not proven.

For dog owners who wish to minimize their dog's exposure to mosquitoes that can carry diseases such as heartworm disease and WNV, the following suggestions are made:

1. Keep pets indoors during times when mosquitoes are most active. These times are dawn, dusk and early evening.

2. Eliminate areas of standing water that can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Empty and re-fill outdoor water bowls daily to prevent mosquitoes from using them to lay their eggs.

3. Many pyrethrin-based flea control products for pets are also labeled to kill or repel mosquitoes and may be used on dogs. Be sure to read and follow the label instructions exactly.

• Do not apply to animals sensitive to pyrethrin products, and do not use on sick or recovering animals.

• Use caution with animals on any medication that has possible side effects to the liver.

• Check with your veterinarian if in doubt.

Copyright 2005 by Limehouse Veterinary Clinic All Rights Reserved.

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