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Cats chat with us through meows, blinks and roving whiskers (from AOL) LOS ANGELES (AP) – When it comes to cats, those meows mean … well, a lot of things. With each purr, yowl or even blink, felines are saying, “Hello,” ”Let’s snuggle” or “Beat it, Mom.” For the increasing number of pet owners who want to connect with their often-aloof fur babies, experts say there’s something to gain from those attempts at communication. Cats are very independent, and so they are easily misunderstood, says Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane Society and SPCA and…

Canine Influenza Update (from the AVMA) (Edited by Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center) Q: What is canine influenza? A: Canine influenza (CI), or dog flu, is a highly contagious respiratory infection of dogs that is caused by an influenza A virus. The canine influenza virus (CIV) is closely related to the virus that causes equine influenza and it is thought that the equine influenza virus mutated to produce the canine influenza virus. In the U.S., canine influenza has been caused by the H3N8 influenza A virus. A separate canine influenza virus, H3N2, had been reported in Korea, China and…

Dr. Sakas is Back on National Catholic Radio Today, April 13th at 1 PM CST! Dr. Sakas will be on the nationally broadcast radio show, “On Call” hosted by Wendy Wiese, on Relevant Radio, Monday, April 13th from 1-2 PM CST. It can be heard on 950 AM, 930 AM, 1270 AM or accessed through your computer at www.relevantradio.com and listened to online. It is a call in show and Dr. Sakas had been a regular guest on the show in the past. Their phone number for call ins is 1-877-766-3777.Future dates are being set up….all between 1-2 CST. We…

Pet Talk: The facts about MRSA Sun, 04/05/2015 – 7:00am | The News-Gazette Photo by: University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Dr. Jamie Hebron examines a patient at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital. By Melissa Giese/University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA is one of the most common causes of human skin and soft tissue infections, and it is the 10th-leading cause of death in humans in the United States. MRSA stands for “methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.” Staphylococcus bacteria are found on the skin of healthy individuals and, under normal…

DOG FLU LINKED TO 5 PET DEATHS IN COOK COUNTY By Diane Pathieu Monday, April 06, 2015 10:31PM CHICAGO (WLS) — There are over 1,000 cases of canine influenza in Cook County and the virus is spreading fast. Dog flu has already been linked to at least five pet deaths in Cook County. Experts say, now more than ever, vaccinations are a matter of life and death for your dog. Dog flu has spread to Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, and three Chicago area PetSmart stores have closed their pet hotels to prevent the spread of the virus. Dr. Donna Alexander…

Dr. Sakas is Back on National Catholic Radio Monday April 13th! Dr. Sakas will be back on the radio again next Monday. Dr. Sakas will be on the nationally broadcast radio show, “On Call” hosted by Wendy Wiese, on Relevant Radio, Monday, April 13th from 1-2 PM CST. It can be heard on 950 AM, 930 AM, 1270 AM or accessed through your computer at www.relevantradio.com and listened to online. It is a call in show and Dr. Sakas had been a regular guest on the show in the past. Their phone number for call ins is 1-877-766-3777. Future dates…

Notice from the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association (ISVMA) about the Canine Influenza Virus outbreak. What precautions to take………………. Chicago Canine Influenza Virus Outbreak-Caution When Traveling with Dogs Over roughly a two week period, March 16-26, almost 80% of the samples tested for Canine Influenza in the Chicago and Chicago suburbs area were positive. This resulted in 34 positive cases, according to a recent Merck press release to the veterinary community. This a highly contagious virus, with symptoms which can mimic other, more benign respiratory infections. With families traveling for the weekend, there is a concern the CIV will spread. Please advise dog…

Human Gets Staph Infection from Dog Saliva Dr. Stephen Page, regular supplier of good material, sent me a couple papers from the Quarterly Journal of Medicinethe other day. One’s an interesting report of ‘Staphylococcus intermedius’ infection in a person, in a case report entitled‘A canine bug in a human heart’ (Koci et al, Q J Med 2015;108:337-338). It’s almost guaranteed that this wasn’t S. intermedius but rather S. pseudintermedius (some medical microbiology labs are apparently still a couple decades behind in identifying this bug). Regardless, it’s an interesting case of a 58-yr-old man with a pacemaker that developed fever, chills and a headache. He reported that a neighbour’s…

Michiana Elite Bird Fair Michiana Elite Bird Fair Hosted by Royal Wings Aviary The Michiana Elite Bird Fair, also known as Michiana Bird Fair, will be held March 21, 2015, at Bethel College in Mishawaka, Indiana. There will be over 30,000 square feet of displays at the Weikamp Athletic Center on the Bethel College campus. The Michiana Elite Bird Fair is the largest bird fair in the Michiana area and is hosted by Royal Wings Aviary. See videos: http://www.fox28.com/category/230748/video-landing-page?clipId=8658498&autostart=true http://www.fox28.com/category/230748/video-landing-page?clipId=8658511&autostart=true http://www.fox28.com/category/230748/video-landing-page?clipId=8658488&autostart=true http://www.fox28.com/story/21756978/2013/03/21/bird-fair-coming-to-mishawaka http://www.fox28.com/story/17240569/weekend-bird-fair-to-benefit-potawatomi-zoo http://video.wttw.com/video/2341523669 Michiana Elite Bird Fair Has a Three-Fold Purpose The purpose of the Michiana Elite Bird Fair…

Feb 23 2015 FDA issues update on pet treat causes of animal death and illness By NEWStat One thousand dogs dead. Another 5,800 sick, along with 25 cats and 3 people. That was the count on Sept. 30, 2014, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tallied the number of illnesses and deaths from animals who ate chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, most of which were imported from China. Last week, on Feb. 19, the FDA issued an update on the investigation. From October 2013 to May 2014, the FDA received 1800 complaints. Since its last update in May 2014,…