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Pet Food Company Recalls Products After Finding Listeria in Sample Updated at 1:42 PM PDT on Monday, Jul 6, 2015 Pet food maker Stella & Chewy’s is recalling some of its products because a routine test found Listeria in a sample of its chicken freeze-dried dinner patties for dogs. Listeria can cause serious illness and even death in children, the frail and the elderly. Healthy people may suffer flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, headache, nausea and diarrhea. The Milwaukee-based company said there have been no reported pet or human illnesses. A complete list of recalled products can be found…

Keep your pets safe, secure for Fourth of July Debbie Elert (Photo: Animal Service Center)   If your pet had to pick a favorite time of year, it probably wouldn’t be July! Fireworks and thunderstorms can be traumatic for pets, causing many to bolt in fear and become lost. There is a 30-percent increase in the number of pets reported lost in the week surrounding the Fourth of July. The following tips from Lost Dogs Florida will help keep your dog (or cat) safe during the summer months: • If you don’t have clear, current photos of your pet, take them…

10 Essential Facts About Lyme Disease By Allison Pohle Ticks are most active from April to September, which means now is prime time for infection. M Phillips David/Getty Images You can’t get Lyme disease from contact with another person, only from a tick bite. Fast Facts Blacklegged ticks are responsible for spreadingLyme disease. Symptoms include a rash that looks like a bullseye, and a summer flu, with fatigue, headache, joint swelling and dizziness. Antibiotics are effective in treating most cases of Lyme disease. Every year, U.S. state health departments report about 30,000 cases of Lyme disease to the Centers for Disease Control and…

Watch your pets for summertime dangers Dr. Laura Kiehnbaum   Warm weather is here, and with it comes the season for cabin time, weekends at the lake and summer vacations. As pet owners, many of us want to experience all that summer has to offer with our animals. After all, they’re part of our families. But a few basic tips, as well as the constant need to think ahead — just as we would when vacationing with children or other family travelers — can make the difference between an outing of summer fun and a more difficult vacation experience. Here…

Temporarily avoiding the dog park could save your puppy’s life 6/16/2015 Christopher Furlong/Getty Images If you’re planning a trip to the dog park or a walk around a crowded park with your new puppy, you might want to wait a few weeks. A Kansas State University veterinarian says taking your puppy out before it has been fully vaccinated for parvovirus could be deadly, especially at this time of year. “Parvovirus—parvo—is a highly contagious virus that is something we do see year-round because it is always in the environment, but the Veterinary Health Center has been seeing more cases recently,” said Susan Nelson,…

Meow! Tips for adopting a cat BY CATHY M. ROSENTHAL : JUNE 1, 2015 June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month, and for good reason. Cats and kittens fill up animal shelters this time of year because of rampant springtime breeding. If you’re looking for a feline friend, it’s a great time to make that love connection; there’s a huge selection of felines, and your adoption will free up shelter space for even more cats and kittens still in need of good homes. Technology makes finding a feline friend super easy these days. Visit any animal shelter online and view photos and information on their…

CAPC predicts ticks to be a menace in 2015 Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and other tick-borne diseases continue to spread; year-round parasite control urged for pets. Apr 30, 2015 By dvm360.com staff DVM360 MAGAZINE Many tick species like to hang out in areas with long grass and quest for their next blood meal.The Companion Animal Parasite Council (CAPC), a group that focuses on parasite research and education for veterinarians and pet owners, has released its annual parasite forecasts. These forecasts measure multiple data points to calculate the probability of four important parasite-transmitted diseases: Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and heartworm. The forecasts show…

Tips for When You Bring Your Pet to Work June 26th is Bring Your Pet to Work Day. Here are some tips that will help you if you decide to bring your pet to work. Petiquette: Is your pet ready for the workplace? By Maureen Blaney Flietner Sure, your pet scratches your furniture or chews up paper at home. But when you bring him to work, he must be on his best behavior. With more employers allowing pets in the workplace and others permitting Take Your Dog to Work Day®(this year it’s Friday, June 26), it’s a good time to learn…

First case of dog flu shows up in Massachusetts Posted: May 22, 2015 8:18 PM CDTUpdated: May 22, 2015 8:23 PM CDT By Cherise Leclerc SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – The first case of canine flu has shown up in Massachusetts this year. The dog, from eastern Massachusetts, was on a family trip to Chicago when she contracted the virus. The region has been dealing with a dog-flu outbreak since last month that’s affected more than 1,700 dogs. Now local veterinarians are saying it’s only a matter of time before New England starts seeing more cases. “Nasal discharge, cough, fever and loss of…

Bird flu may take bite out of Thanksgiving’s turkey supply CHICAGO | BY P.J. HUFFSTUTTER Tina Corpus and her daughter Christina shop for turkey at a Walmart store in the Porter Ranch section of Los Angeles November 26, 2013. REUTERS/KEVORK DJANSEZIAN (Reuters) – The largest-ever U.S. outbreak of avian influenza, which has devastated Midwestern poultry and egg producers in recent weeks, could be felt at Thanksgiving tables across the nation come November, farmers and some trade groups say. The virulent H5N2 strain has already spread to 14 states and led to the deaths or scheduled euthanizations of more than 21 million birds,…