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Written by: DJ Geribo

Category: Petpourri

Although we are concerned about and know that we can catch the flu from other people and our kids, did you know that you can also pass the flu onto your pet? Known as “reverse zoonosis” researchers believe people have passed the H1N1 flu virus to cats and other animals and in some cases the animals have died.

The first recorded case of human-to-pet transmission of the H1N1 flu virus occurred in 2009 when a pet owner came down with the flu and while in the hospital, her cat died of pneumonia caused by the same virus.

The main concern is that when the virus moves to a new species, a mutation could occur causing the virus to take on a more dangerous form.

Take all precautions: when you start developing flu-like symptoms, stay away from your pets.

(Read in timesunion.com by Dana Guthrie)

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Written by: DJ Geribo

Category: Petpourri

Almost 11 years ago we bought our Pomeranian, Meko, from a breeder in Oregon. Therefore, she had to travel to us by air and we picked her up at the airport. She also had to change planes! Now, I remember being concerned about her well-being since I heard a lot of stories about it getting so hot in the baggage area that dogs or cats shipped by plane were dying. Fortunately, she arrived safe and sound with no apparent trauma due to an unsafe flying situation.

Recently, an article in Psychology Today told a story about a woman who had her dogs shipped on United Airlines. When the couple went to pick up the dogs, one of the dogs was dead. They were given a run around and the couple had a difficult time retrieving their animal. There was also a lack of any emotion from the airline personnel over the traumatic event. When the couple was finally able to get their dog back and have their vet perform an autopsy to determine cause of death, the findings suggested that death was from heatstroke.

When our Meko was shipped to us, there was a lot of good publicity about Delta airlines saying that they were more considerate of pets being flown across the country than the other airlines. The author of the article in PT did a study based on number of passengers flying. US Air came out first with the lowest incidence of pet deaths with United the second safest.

But the good news is, with over 600,000 pets flying each year, the chance of your pet dying, getting lost, or suffering any injury is 0.009 percent. You have to decide if that percentage is more of a risk than you are willing to take.

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Written by: Super User

Category: In the Press

If you remember, back in February, we lost our sweet tiny Binka when a piece of chicken jerky got stuck in her esophagus and she hemorraghed when the vet, in surgery, tried to push the piece into her stomach. It was a horribly sad day for us and one that I still remember like it was yesterday. The thought that any other dog would go through this is heartbreaking. But I'm still seeing stories about the chicken jerky in the news, with the death toll over 360 for dogs and one cat. But it wasn't from choking, it was from a variety of illnesses such as diarrhea, vomiting, kidney failure, Fanconi syndrome (a disorder of the kidney tubes), and death. It was disturbing to me that people were still ignoring these warnings, claiming that they saw no adverse affect on their pet. One particular woman said she brought these treats to the dog park and gave them to all the other pets. This woman is endangering the lives of all these other dogs since kidney failure can take months before showing up. And then who will pay for the expenses to try to save the dog's life? Owners need to take responsibility and prevent insensitive people from possibly poisoning their pet. And Walmart and other stores need to remove these products from their shelves. The problem with the jerky treats is possibly from the irradiation used to sterilize the product. To find out more, search Vitals on NBCNEWS.com