Dog Bite Prevention Week

May 20-26 is National Dog Prevention Week.  Did you know that :

4.7 million people in the country are bitten by dogs every year.

 Children are by far the most common victims.

800,000 Americans receive medical attention for dog bites each year.

Children are far more likely to be severly injured;  approximately 400,000 receive medical attention every year.

Most dog bites affecting young children occur during everyday activities and while interacting with familiar dogs.

Senior citizens are the second most common dog bite victims.

For additional information see the AMVA's National Dog Bite Prevention Week website and a list of things you can do to avoid dog bites.  www.avma.org/public_health/dogbite/

National Pet Week

Happy National Pet Week (May 6-12)!
National Pet Week is about ways we can promote responsible pet ownership, celebrate the humal-animal bond and promote public awareness of veterinary medicine.  For the A.V.M..A. National Pet Week website go to www.petweek.org/about-npw.html.

2011 Most Common Pet Poisonings

According to the Pet Poison Hotline the 10 most common pet poisonings, based on calls to their hotline, were:

1. Foods-such as chocolate(stimulant), xylitol, a sweetener used in candy and gum,(liver damage, hypogycemia), and raisins and grapes (kidney failure)

2. Insecticides

3. Mouse and Rat poison-rodenticides

4. NSAIDS human drugs such as Ibuprofen, Naproxen

5. Household Cleaners

6. Antidepressant human drugs, such as Prozac, Paxil, Celexa

7. Fertilizers-especially organic products such as blood meal, feather meal, and
iron.

8. Acetaminophen human drugs, such as Tylenol (toxic to both dogs and cats) A single
tablet can be fatal in cats.

9. Amphetamine human drugs, such as drugs used to treat ADD/ADHD.

10. Veterinary pain relievers such as Rimadyl, Dermaxx, and Previcox.

Nutrition Fact #8

If a pet food label includes the phrase" with ingredient X", the pet food is required to contain only 3 percent of X (beef, chicken, seafood etc.)

Nutrition Fact #7

Pet foods that are labeled "dinner", "platter", "entree", or "formula, etc. are required to include only 25% of the main ingredient (chicken dinner, beef entree, etc.). If you purchase a can of cat food labeled as "seafood entree", the manufacturer is required to include only 25% seafood in the product.

Nutrition Fact #6

Ingredients are listed in descending order by their predominance by weight. However, weight values are not included in the ingredient statement, meaning that the listed ingredients could vary by weight only 0.1 percent, or by 20 percent.

Nutrition Fact #5

Formulation method v. feeding trial method: If your pet's food label says something to the effect of "This food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the Association of American Feed Control Officials..." rather than "Animal feeding test using AAFCO procedures substantiate that this food provides complete and balanced nutrition...", it means that the food did not undergo actual feeding or digestibility trials. The formulation method is quicker and cheaper, but does not document the effect on animals.