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NOT-SO-EASY BREATHING Sophie, left, and Pugsly, adopted from Mid-Atlantic Pug Rescue, may be susceptible to the dog flu because of their short, bent respiratory tracts.
There is a new flu virus going around. It initially looked quite lethal, and caused panic. Now it is clear that it has killed relatively few victims — and many of those have underlying conditions. It is particularly dangerous to be the possessor of a pushed-in nose — that is, to be a Pekingese, a pug or a Shi-Tzu.
It is the H3N8 dog flu. The virus, scientists believe, jumped from horses to dogs at least five years ago, but it has never infected a human.
Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture announced that it had approved the first vaccine for it.
While fears of a flu pandemic among humans have shifted from the lethal H5N1 avian flu to the relatively mild H1N1 swine flu, the H3N8 canine flu has been a quiet undercurrent in the United States, rarely discussed except among veterinarians and dog owners in the few areas where it has struck hard: Florida, New York City’s northern suburbs, Philadelphia and Denver.
In line with the virologists’ adage that the only predictable thing about flu viruses is that they are unpredictable, the dog flu has baffled those following it.
“I don’t think we know what this virus is going to do yet,” said one of its discoverers, Dr. Cynda Crawford of the University of Florida veterinary school.
When Dr. Crawford began studying it in January 2004, it had come to her notice as a mysterious cough and pneumonia that killed a third of the greyhounds at a Florida dog track. By the next year, she had found it in seven states and had shown that it could be passed by dogs who just rubbed noses on the street or shared a water dish, and that humans could carry it on their clothes. There was a brief flurry of fear that it would kill 1 percent to 10 percent of the country’s 70 million dogs.
It has proved about as deadly as Dr. Crawford predicted. She estimates that by itself, it kills 5 percent of the dogs that catch it. Add the deaths at shelters that eliminate the virus by killing all their dogs and disinfecting their cages, and the total mortality rate is 8 percent.
(By contrast, the mortality rate of the 1918 Spanish flu in humans was about 2 percent.)
But it has not spread nearly as vigorously as she expected. It has now been found in 30 states, but almost exclusively in settings where dogs live closely together: shelters, pet stores, kennels and dog schools. Because the owners of these establishments have learned to turn away sick dogs just as school principals facing swine flu send home sick children, the disease’s progress has been slowed.
“Probably over 10,000 dogs have been infected,” Dr. Crawford said, “but I can’t say whether it’s 20,000 or 30,000. In a population of 70 million, that’s a drop in the bucket.”
Dr. Edward J. Dubovi of the veterinary school at Cornell University, another discoverer of the virus, said it is “probably not as well adapted to dogs as it could be.” It took five mutations to let it jump to dogs from horses, where it had circulated for 40 years.
Another mutation or two “could make it a very serious issue,” he said, but at the moment, “it takes a certain density of dogs to keep it going.”
Some veterinarians have found that the dogs that tend to die from it are the “brachycephalics” — dogs with short snub noses.
Just as obesity has proved dangerous to human flu victims because of the weight on their chests, being bred to have a short, bent respiratory tract is dangerous for dogs.
“It really puts a strain on their ability to breathe,” Dr. Crawford said. “They can’t move air in and out of their lungs.”
MAJOR LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL & ALL-DAY SUSTAINABLE FILM AND EXPO ON AUGUST 20 SEEKS AUTHORS AND EXPERTS ON MATTERS GREEN: “green” cuisine, agriculture, “green” homes, and alternative energy. High media profile to attract consumers is preferred. SUSTAINABLE L.A. at the Downtown Film
Festival (Los Angeles on August 20, 2009) offers authors a prime opportunity to appear at a hugely promoted “green marketing” event. We are especially interested in green-oriented cookbook authors (especially on the subjects of slow food, organic cooking, and the like)demonstrations may be possible and other authors who cover sustainable housing, urban planning, fuel-free transportation, and related subjects. This high-profile event, commended by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and approved by several leading environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Environment California, drew thousands of participants last year, including celebrity appearances by Alicia Silverstone and Ed Begley, Jr.; this years, located at the major downtown hub of 7th & FIG, promises even an greater turnout. Please contact David Andrusia, Program Curator, at davidandrusia@mindspring.com
We are a new startup, PixelMags is a authorized apple developer for the iphone, we build custom-made applications for the iPhone specifically for publishers and authors. You will have your own App branded with your Idenity right in one of the best shop fronts in the world, iTunes. Once you have your App live it’s as easy as sending us a pdf of a new publication and it can be live on your App within hours, there is over 38million iPhone and iPod touch users. Take a look at our website www.pixel-mags.com
Baldwin & Bliss want you to make your reservation today for the
Hollywoof Gift Basket!!!!!!!
How would you like your dog product delivered to some of your favorite pet-loving stars? You know that getting your product into a star’s paws can be a tricky endeavor. They have many gatekeepers who censor what they see and hear. Because of our industry reputation, contacts with talent representatives and direct access to celebrities, the chances of your product being used by the list of trendsetters (and their pets) below is exponentially higher than a mailing you might do on your own to a random point of contact you find online.
Celebrity product placement is a tried and true method of differentiating your product from the masses. Everyone wants what celebrities have and you will be able to use this list of names in all your marketing and pr materials.
So make your reservation to be included in the special Hollywoof Gift Basket today! A limited number of spaces are available and the deadline is August 17, 2009.
Tori Spelling, Mickey Rourke, Denise Richards, Hayden Panettiere, Amanda Bynes, Mischa Barton, Martha Stewart, Alicia Silverstone, Nicole Richie, Rachael Ray, Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Oprah Winfrey, Rachel Bilson, Ellen DeGeneres, Kathy Griffin, Ricky Martin, Glenn Close, Katherine Heigl, Paris Hilton, Hilary Duff, Jai Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, Jessica Biel/Justin Timberlake, Drew Barrymore
Baldwin & Bliss hit the red carpert!
(All products will be packaged and delivered the week of August 24, 2009)
Call 818-998-6299 to reserve your space today!
Article Published in Animal Wellness Magazine June 2009 (submitted by Alpha Dog PR for Chillybuddy)
Take the heat off!
Canine hyperthermia can be a significant threat during the summer. Help your dog stay cool and comfortable by learning how to protect him.
by Bob Stalick
We may love the heat, but it’s hard on our canine companions. Whether you live in Arizona or Alaska, your dog is affected by rising temperatures during the summer. And with global warming driving average temperatures up, the situation won’t get any easier for our four-legged friends.
In an odd twist, people’s awareness and knowledge of canine heat issues seems to be inversely related to the average temperature of a particular region. We found that Canadians are generally very knowledgeable and concerned about the thermal welfare of their dogs; in some ways, though, those living in the southern United States are a bit more casual about it. You might say it’s the old story of familiarity breeding contempt.
Basic facts
•Dogs have defective cooling systems. They lose heat only through respiration and their paws, and they don’t perspire like we do. Like any heat producing engine, they radiate heat to the environment. This is a great system for an animal that evolved for life in the taiga and the Ice Age, or cold deserts at night. It’s not so great for a sled dog living in Florida.
•The equivalent of 1,250 calories per square meter of infrared energy strikes the Earth at sea level every hour – and that number is higher at greater elevations. This is approximately the energy requirement for a reasonably active 50-pound dog per day.
•The normal temperature for a dog is 101ºF to 102ºF.
•A dog is considered hyperthermic when his body temperature exceeds 106ºF (The Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2006, 20:38-46).
•The mortality rate for hyperthermic dogs treated immediately by qualified clinicians is only 50%, due
to irreversible changes in blood chemistry (JVIM, Ibid).
In short, summer is hot, dogs are already hot, and there isn’t a whole lot of room (4ºF to 5ºF) between “doing fine” and “likely to die”.
Doing the math
In dogs, we are dealing with a system already overloaded by the elimination of normal heat caused by burning food for energy. In a walk lasting an hour, the average dog is exposed to almost as much energy as he consumes in a day from food. Even if he absorbs only 10% of the solar influx, he is adding significantly to his thermal load.
The average fit 50-pound dog burns about 1,400 calories per day; that translates to an average of 56 calories of energy burn an hour. That rate goes up if the dog is out for a leisurely walk. Let’s say there are 100 calories of energy to be eliminated. A dog doesn’t occupy anything like a square meter, but is exposed to about a third of the total influx of infrared energy mentioned earlier (1,250 calories/square meter/hour), or about 400 calories per hour. Assuming the same 10% absorption referred to above (based on coat temperature measurements, this is probably a low number) the dog will absorb about 40 calories on an hour-long walk. That absorption is an additional 40% load on an already challenged heat elimination system.
Cool solutions
1. Water, water, water! Your dog should always have plenty of fresh cool water available. If you’re taking your dog for a walk, there are some very neat new devices for carrying water for your dog.
2. Don’t overwork him. Just because he goes nuts when he sees a tennis ball doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to throw it for half an hour when it’s 95º outside. If you’re going to work a dog in warm weather, take a good cue from the best agility and search and rescue handlers: be prepared with lots and lots of water, a good cooling jacket that works properly, and perhaps a cool pond in which to quickly dissipate heat.
3. Provide shade whenever possible. My dog Buddy’s unwillingness to come out of the shade for a walk
was what gave me a clue to develop my own cooling jacket. Shade represents reduced heat influx (though
not entirely) and reduces strain on the dog’s system.
4. Air movement is good, and more is better. A breezy, shady spot on a warm day helps a dog even though he doesn’t perspire. Dogs can lose heat through radiation, helping offload some work from his primary cooling systems.
5. Give him a dip in a pool or stream. Water on the body allows for evaporative cooling. But that cooling mechanism works well only if airflow is plentiful and the heat being absorbed by evaporation comes from the dog, not the environment. One of the problems with older style towel wraps and chamois is that they turn into a sauna underneath because they emphasize water at the exclusion of air. Evaporative cooling is about 80% airflow, 20% water.
6. Watch for the slightest signs of heat stress. Keep in mind, though, that a dog may already be suffering
from heat stress before these symptoms of distress appear.
a. Intense, rapid panting
b. Wide eyes
c. Excessive salivation
d. Staggering and weakness
e. Collapse
7. Use a good quality cooling jacket. I designed the Chillybuddy jacket for Buddy to deal with the real physics and biophysics of the dog’s circumstances. Try to find a product that addresses solar influx, provides enough airflow and/or emphasizes water over airflow. Remember this is not about what’s convenient or
inexpensive for you.
Protecting dogs from hyperthermia is mostly about prevention and common sense. Take the right precautions, and you and your companion can relax and enjoy the summer in comfort.
Knowledge is power
Busting the myths about dogs and heat.
“My dog’s long coat protects him from the heat.”
This has to be the number one myth and it comes in a corollary version too: “My dog is double coated so isn’t bothered by heat.” A fur coat is an insulator; two fur coats makes a better insulator. Yes, it’s true that longer hair helps reduce the heat transmitted from the surface of the coat to the skin. But the longer coat also creates a layer of air that insulates the dog. In this case, that air is heated by two sources: the dog and the outside environment. In the event that the insulating air mass exceeds the skin temperature of the dog, the heat transference will be reversed and flow back to the skin.
“My dog’s short coat protects him from the heat.”
A short coat does help a dog radiate his own heat to the environment better than a longer coat – we all see that in the cold months. But the short-coated dog is that much more likely to absorb heat from solar influx, and a black short-coated dog is most at risk.
“My dog is tough.”
Very popular among those with Dobermans, rottweilers, various American bulldog breeds, etc. A tough-minded dog has the same metabolism as any other canine, but is less likely to let you know he is suffering until he cannot carry on. Add to that the fact that many of these “tough” dogs are black and short-coated, and you have a problem since black attracts heat.
“I walk my dog at night.”
Good, that’s a start. But if it’s 105ºF in Las Vegas at nine in the evening, you and the dog are still being bombarded by radiant energy. Your eyes say it’s dark, but the heat says the world is glowing with radiant thermal energy. If it’s hot, it’s hot.
Callout
Just because he goes nuts when he sees a tennis ball doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to throw it for half an hour when it’s 95ºF outside.
REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF ANIMAL WELLNESS MAGAZINE, ©2009.
www.AnimalWellnessMagazine.com
Artist Aimee Hoover came to us with the dream of painting a portrait for her favorite TV Personality Bonnie Hunt. We had to pull some major strings with our contacts at the show but we finally did get the producer to go along with the idea. We love to make our clients dreams come true…
[via Aimeehover.com]
I was completely honored and thrilled when the wonderfully talented and hilarious Bonnie Hunt of the Bonnie Hunt Show (Jerry Maguire, The Green Mile, Cheaper By The Dozen) presented her new (large!) portrait of Charlie, her pit bull mix, on national television.
And a week later I had the chance to thank her in person during a live taping of the show in Culver City, CA. For those of you who are wondering, yes–she is as warm and funny as she seems on TV. I highly suggest checking out her new talk show, if you haven’t already and attending a live taping of the show if you live in the area. It was a blast.
Here we are, they dynamic trio talking about our favorite subject, dog
products! Baldwin and Bliss were the true super stars on the Duke
Firemaster show. The funny part, though, was my well behaved boy Baldwin was
barking while Bliss, my usual wild child, was the picture of perfection.
They are just like us humans, subject to moods. Whatever was going on, we
all had a blast!
Please Vote for Baldwin! Click on this link and find Baldwin the Rocket Dog…then vote…please! Thanks!
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