Rabies: How To Protect Yourself And Your Pets

Rabies is a virus that occurs in mammals and infects the central nervous system; the disease can cause death in humans if it is not treated. Nearly 90 percent of cases occur in wild animals (raccoons, bats, foxes etc.); less than 10% of cases occur in domestic animals like dogs or cats. Humans usually become infected when they are bitten by an infected animal.

Early symptoms of rabies are fever, headache and general malaise. Since these are similar to other illnesses, infected persons often do not seek treatment because they are unaware they have rabies.

Progressive symptoms include:

-- Insomnia

-- Anxiety/confusion

-- Partial paralysis

-- Agitation

-- Hallucination

-- Excess saliva

-- Difficulty swallowing

-- Fear of water

If you have been bitten by any animal you should seek medical care immediately. After possible exposure to rabies, the wound should be washed thoroughly with soap and water. Treatment for someone who has contracted rabies is called post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP. PEP treatment consists of one dose of a substance called immune globulin and five doses of the rabies vaccine over 28 days, both of which help your body fight the virus. Treatment must be given as soon after exposure as possible for the best chance of recovery.

If you see an animal you suspect of having rabies, you should call your local health department or animal control agency. These agencies will have ways to safely remove the animal from the area so that no one becomes infected. Infected animals often display symptoms similar to those listed above and may seem to be acting strangely or seen somewhere outside their normal habitat.

The best way to prevent the spread of rabies is to have all your pets vaccinated against the virus. This will also help prevent them from being infected if they come in contact with an infected animal.

NC Health Info is a guide to reliable health and medical information that links users to local health services throughout North Carolina.

Puppy love: More pets partake in even formal weddings

Wedding attendants are going to the dogs.

Pet-loving couples are increasingly including their dogs (and other pets, to a much lesser degree) in the wedding parties of some very formal weddings — decking them out in silk and satin and including them in the receiving line, on the program and in the portraits.

"Many people think of their pets as family members, and they wouldn't think of having a special day like this without that member," says Celina Bojorquez, co-owner of Beverly Hills Mutt Club, purveyor of upscale accessories like doggie tuxedos ($70 and up) and couture dresses ($170 to $500).

The shop has outfitted canines for scores of weddings in the last couple of years. Not all have been done up in full-dress regalia; some have merely donned accessories for a little special-day elegance. Bojorquez has sold dog-besotted soon-to-weds silk ties and bow ties for their four-legged pals, satin bandanas, crystal leads and collars, and, in one case, a gold harness and leash to match the bride's gold dress.

Though pets have long been part of casual weddings in meadows, on mountaintops and at the seashore, their participation in chichi affairs at the most ornate churches and refined locales is a more recent phenomenon.

Increased numbers not withstanding, not everyone is completely enchanted with the notion of animals in the aisles or at the altar. Many locales prohibit them; many families and wedding planners discourage their participation.

Lynda Barness of I Do Wedding Consulting in Philadelphia always warns couples of the potential perils — "animals are animals, and they can do animal things," she says — and so far all her clients have concluded that including pets in the wedding party isn't necessary. "But as part of the portraits, that's just fine."

Her concerns range from potty issues to a dog acting up because it's not used to being in a room with 300 people to the fact that "the bride and the groom and others in the wedding party have enough to tend to that day."

Also, "if a dog isn't used to wearing a top hat, there may be issues."

Beth Anstandig of Los Gatos, Calif., acknowledges there may be matters to work out but says having her own two border collies involved made her wedding day even more special. "The guests loved it," she says. And she and her husband cherish the photos featuring the dogs — especially because both have since died.

"We are so happy to be able to look back and remember them as they were on that day."

He's a loved one, too

"The family was a little skeptical," Kaycee English says with a chuckle about the moment last year when she announced that Bowser, the Australian shepherd pup she and John English had fallen for on Petfinder.com, would be part of her fancy wedding. "Bowser had instantly become a family member." They adopted him from Purrs and Pups Animal Rescue in Riverdale, N.J., weeks before their wedding day.

"The people I loved would be there, and there was no way Bowser wouldn't be," says English, of Freehold, N.J., who works for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So she bought Bowser a canine ring-bearer outfit, and he pulled off his wedding-day role without incident (dissolving a worried dad's concern about crazy-dog potential and lost rings).

No pets? 'Unimaginable'

Los Gatos, Calif., psychotherapist Beth Anstandig was something of a trendsetter when, five years ago, she informed her stunned parents that her beloved border collies, Levi, 11, and blue-eyed Frank, 9, would be attending her very fancy, very formal wedding.

The dogs had joined her on road trips, seen her through grad school, accompanied her to classes when she was a teacher and "helped me grow up," she says. It would have been "unimaginable" to have such an important day without them.

Her fiancé, Eric Killough, had grown to love the dogs, too. He joked that he intended to have an "adoption ceremony" to formalize his relationship with them.

On the wedding day, a groomsman walked Levi and Frank down the aisle to the altar, and there they remained quietly throughout the vows. "They weren't there because it was cute to have them there," Anstandig says. "They were there because they belonged there. It would have felt incomplete without them."

Speak now or forever hold your pooch

Jessica Sempek of Skokie, Ill., encountered some "naysayers who thought it was strange" when the topic of Emmie and Lady Bug being part of the ceremony arose during the planning of her elegant wedding to Scott Stewart last summer. But those voices were quickly silenced.

"We have two of the most amazing girls," Sempek says. The couple adopted the two mixed-breed Kentucky-born rescues months apart from Heavenly Hearts Rescue of Southeastern Wisconsin.

When the couple — she works for the American Medical Association, he's a hospice nurse — exchanged vows, the two dogs were at the altar. They were walked down the aisle on rhinestone leashes by the groom's nephew.

By Sharon L. Peters, Special for USA TODAY

Veterinarian Offers Advice On Evacuating With A Pet If Disaster Strikes

A veterinarian at Kansas State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has advice for pet owners who want to consider how pets fit into their own household emergency plans -- especially if that includes evacuating.

Dr. Marjory Artzer, professor of clinical sciences, suggests thinking about the supplies you'd ordinarily have on hand at home but may not have access to if forced to evacuate. This includes pet food, which can be bagged in easy to handle amounts, as well as bottled water, a leash, a pet carrier and an adequate amount of any medications your pet regularly takes.

Artzer said heartworm medications and flea/tick preventatives are essential. Pet owners also may want to include bandaging material for wounds.

Pets not of the canine or feline variety require considerations in addition to the basics like food and water. Artzer said owners should think about a safe means of transport and a way for environmental temperature control.

Artzer also suggests bringing along paperwork like health records and registration.

"It may make a difference in how the pet is handled," she said.

Having pets properly identified can make an emergency or evacuation go more smoothly, too.

"An ID tag on a collar is an easy way to see immediately, but they can get lost," she said. "A permanent way is microchipping."

In an emergency, your pet's nerves can be just as frayed as yours. To make animals more comfortable, Artzer suggests doing a pets' favorite activity every day, whether it's walking, playing ball or just brushing its fur.The best time to think about an emergency or evacuation plan for your pet is before disaster strikes. Artzer suggests thinking of alternatives to evacuating with your pet ahead of time.

"Have a backup plan for help, like a friend or boarding facility," she said. "It is important to think ahead."

Source: Kansas State University

Tobacco Is Toxic For Toto Too

The American Legacy Foundation(R) is challenging pet owners to quit smoking for their pets during the month of April, which kicks off Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. A growing body of research shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke -- for humans or for animals. And one new study shows that nearly 30 percent of pet owners live with at least one smoker -- a number far too high given the consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke ("SHS").

"Secondhand smoke doesn't just affect people," said Dr. Cheryl G. Healton, DrPH, President and CEO of the American Legacy Foundation(R), the national independent public health foundation dedicated to keeping young people from smoking and providing resources to smokers who want to quit. "While most Americans have been educated about the dangers of smoking to their own bodies, it is equally important that pet owners take action to protect their beloved domestic pets from the dangers of secondhand smoke."

An estimated 50,000 Americans lose their lives to secondhand smoke annually and 4 million youth (16 percent) are exposed to secondhand smoke in their homes. A number of studies have indicated that animals, too, face health risks when exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke, from respiratory problems, allergies and even nasal and lung cancer in dogs and lymphoma in cats. In addition, the ASPCA, one of the largest animal rights groups in the U.S., lists tobacco smoke as a toxin that is dangerous to pets.

"Nicotine from secondhand smoke can have effects to the nervous systems of cats and dogs," said Dr. Sharon Gwaltney-Brant, Medical Director of the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center. "Environmental tobacco smoke has been shown to contain numerous cancer-causing compounds, making it hazardous for animals as well as humans. Studies have shown increases in certain types of respiratory cancers in dogs that live in homes with smokers. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke has been shown to cause many of the same harmful inflammatory changes in the airways and lungs of dogs as their human counterparts. For these reasons, owners should not expose their pets to secondhand smoke in order to minimize the risk of their pets developing lung disease or cancer."

According to a study published in the February 2009 edition of Tobacco Control, 28 percent of pet owners who smoke reported that information on the dangers of pet exposure to SHS would motivate them to try to quit smoking. These findings, coupled with the research on the effects of SHS exposure to animals, signals a new front in the public health community's battle to save lives from tobacco-related disease.

In order to better protect dogs, cats or other pets, the foundation and ASPCA recommend that smokers -- who often consider their domestic pets a part of the family -- "take it outside" when they are smoking. The foundation also provides resources and information to smokers who want to quit for their own health through a national campaign called EX(R), including a Web site for smokers who are quitting just for their pets:

-- EX encourages smokers to approach quitting smoking as "re-learning life without cigarettes"

-- The resources from the campaign help smokers consider the "triggers" that make them want to smoke each day. The program is based on helping people understand that if they can get through each part of their day without a cigarette, they can quit for good.

-- The campaign features www.BecomeAnEX.org, a state-of-the-art Web site with interactive tools and information to help smokers prepare for quitting by developing a personalized plan. The EX Web site offers a virtual community and forums where smokers can share stories and best practices about their quit attempt.

The American Legacy Foundation(R) is dedicated to building a world where young people reject tobacco and anyone can quit. Located in Washington, D.C., the foundation develops programs that address the health effects of tobacco use, especially among vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by the toll of tobacco, through grants, technical assistance and training, partnerships, youth activism, and counter-marketing and grassroots marketing campaigns. The foundation's programs include truth(R), a national youth smoking prevention campaign that has been cited as contributing to significant declines in youth smoking; EX(R), an innovative public health program designed to speak to smokers in their own language and change the way they approach quitting; research initiatives exploring the causes, consequences and approaches to reducing tobacco use; and a nationally-renowned program of outreach to priority populations. The American Legacy Foundation was created as a result of the November 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) reached between attorneys general from 46 states, five U.S. territories and the tobacco industry.

Source: American Legacy Foundation