Spring Wildlife and Your Pets: What You Need to Know

by the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association
M. Kathleen Shaw, DVM

Spring is finally here and young wildlife is everywhere. With this abundance of young wild animals, it is important to be aware of the more common animals your pet may encounter and what to do if it does.

Image courtesy of Aleksandr Kutsayev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It is quite common in the spring for our dog or cat to present us with a live baby rabbit. In addition children may find one in the yard and bring it inside, thinking it has been abandoned by its mother. If the bunny's eyes are open, it is able to eat and fend for itself in the wild.  If you come across a nest of bunnies in the wild and the mother is nowhere to be seen, DO NOT disturb them - this is normal. By removing them from the nest you are greatly reducing their chances of survival. The wild rabbit mother only feeds in the middle of the night; she leaves her babies all day to not alert predators, so don’t assume she is not caring for them and take them from her!

  

So if your pet or child presents you with an uninjured baby rabbit, confine your pets in the house, and return the bunny to wherever it was found, immediately. It will do fine and the less time it spends in human hands, the better.  If it appears injured, contact your veterinarian for the name of the closest wildlife rehabilitator near you.  (Not all veterinarians are licensed to treat wildlife.)
Skunks present a smelly problem. They possess two small glands under their tail that produce a foul smelling material which the skunk can spray in the face of a predator or curious pet.  While the spray is not toxic to our pets, it can cause tremendous irritation to the eyes, causing them to water and sting.  Furthermore, if you think skunks smell bad, imagine how it is for our dogs and cats, whose sense of smell is up to 30 times stronger than ours! That horrible smelly material is usually sprayed right in the face of our curious pets, and the smell is so bad to them they will often vomit. Because these encounters are always a surprise, it helps to be prepared by having some products on hand to clean up your pet.

Image courtesy of thefixer @ Flickr.com

Your local pet store or veterinarian has products available to clean up your pets if they are “skunked."  Another option is a homemade solution made by mixing one quart of hydrogen peroxide with a half box baking soda, and 1 tsp of a grease-cutting dish soap. You must mix and use within an hour as it won't keep. Whichever you use, remember you shouldn't get the pet wet first: put the de-skunking material right on the pet. AVOID the eyes! If your pet will allow, you can rinse around the face with plain tap water. If your pet persistently paws or rubs at the eyes and they are red and tearing, call your veterinarian.

Porcupines have sharp quills that can imbed into your pet's face, skin and paws. If your pet has been "quilled", do not attempt to remove them yourself. The quills can break off under the skin, and also it is very painful for your pet. Call your veterinarian immediately for help with this problem. The longer the quills remain in the pet the more difficult they are to remove.

Image courtesy of Stoonn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Baby birds are commonly found on the ground or retrieved by pets. If there is no obvious injury, the baby should be replaced in the nest or in a tree or bush as close to the nest as possible. Parents will not abandon their offspring, so even if you don’t see any adults around, leave the area so as not to frighten the parents away.  Do not attempt to treat any wounds or feed the baby bird – they require specific types of food and are VERY difficult to care for.  For any injuries or wounds, contact your veterinarian, who will help get the bird to a licensed rehabilitator.

Keeping your pet on a leash or in a fenced yard will greatly reduce the encounters with spring wildlife. Also remember with any wild mammal rabies virus is a concern. Rabies is always fatal to the animal, and it can be transmitted to people through saliva and bites. Vermont law requires your pet to be vaccinated for rabies, so make sure your pet is up to date on rabies vaccination, avoid handling wildlife, and report any wildlife acting in an unusual manner to the game warden or wild life officer. If you have any questions or concerns about spring wildlife and your pet, contact your veterinarian or visit the Vermont Veterinary Medical Association website at www.vtvets.org.

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The Vermont Veterinary Medical Association (VVMA), founded in 1898, is a professional organization of 330 veterinarians dedicated to compassionate animal care and quality medicine.

Update From the FDA Regarding Pet Jerky Treats

To each of our clients, we are sharing this US Food and Drug Administration report focusing on the potential harm of feeding pet jerky treats. The data pertains to many companies and distributors; please consider your pet treats carefully. As a general recommendation, please avoid feeding your companion these commercial pet jerky treats.

Date: 16 May 2014
Source: US Federal Food and Drug Administration [edited]
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/NewsEvents/CVMUpdates/ucm397713.htm

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an update on its ongoing investigation into pet illnesses and deaths in animals that ate jerky pet treats. This update includes the latest information about complaints of illnesses, FDA's collaboration with the CDC on a new case control study, and new findings revealed through the agency's testing. Unfortunately, FDA has still not been able to identify a specific cause for the reported illnesses or deaths.

- Case numbers: Since FDA's last update on 22 Oct 2013, we have received approximately 1800 additional case reports. As of 1 May 2014, we have received in total more than 4800 complaints of illness in pets that ate chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, nearly all of which are imported from China. The reports involve more than 5600 dogs, 24 cats, 3 people, and include more than 1000 canine deaths. The breakdown of signs associated with the cases is similar to that of earlier reports: approximately 60 percent of the cases report gastrointestinal/liver disease, 30 percent kidney or urinary disease, with the remaining 10 percent of complaints including various other signs such as neurologic, dermatologic, and immunologic symptoms. About 15 percent of the kidney or urinary cases also tested positive for Fanconi syndrome, a rare kidney disease that has been associated with this investigation.

- Response to Dear Veterinarian Letter: Following an October 2013 request for veterinarians to share case information, the agency received many well-documented case reports that have and continue to provide us with valuable information that is assisting in our ongoing investigation. Out of this effort, FDA has had the opportunity to perform necropsies (post-mortem examinations) on 26 dogs, 13 of which appeared to have causes of death not related to consumption of jerky pet treats. Of the remaining 13 cases, an association with consumption of jerky pet treats could not be ruled out. Eleven of these dogs hadindications of kidney disease and 2 involved gastrointestinal disease. The agency continues to review case records, test treat samples from reported cases, screen tissue, blood, urinary and fecal samples, and communicate with the attending veterinarians and pet owners to thoroughly investigate select cases. Because of the volume of information received in response to the Dear Veterinarian letter, the agency has not completed an update to our online case spreadsheets. FDA plans to complete and post these updates in the coming months.

- Partnership with CDC: While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention primarily tracks cases of human illness, FDA has requested their expertise in collaborating on a study of cases reported to the FDA of sick dogs compared with "controls" (dogs who have not been ill). The goal of the study is to compare the foods eaten by the sick dogs (cases) to those eaten by the dogs that did not get sick (controls), in order to determine whether sick dogs are eating more jerky pet treats than healthy dogs are. Data collected during this investigation will allow federal investigators to better understand what is making pets sick. The study is still ongoing, and FDA will share results when they are completed.

- Testing: Following testing performed by the New York State Department of Markets and Agriculture (NYSDAM) in 2012 that detected low levels of antibiotics in tested jerky pet treats, FDA undertook a project to adapt the NYSDAM method to the equipment in its own field laboratories for regulatory and enforcement purposes. This adaptation is now complete, and the method is in use for testing both imported and domestic treats.

Testing of jerky pet treats from China has also revealed the presence of the drug amantadine in some samples containing chicken. These samples were from jerky pet treats that were sold a year or more ago. Amantadine is an antiviral that is FDA-approved for use in people. It has also been used in an extra-label manner (using an approved drug in a way that isn't listed on the label [but is within the realm of a veterinary-client-patient relationship - Mod.TG]) in dogs for pain control, but FDA prohibited its use in poultry in 2006.

FDA does not believe that amantadine contributed to the illnesses because the known side effects or adverse events associated with amantadine do not seem to correlate with the signs seen in the jerky pet treat-related cases. However, amantadine should not be present at all in jerky pet treats, and the agency has notified the Chinese authorities that the presence of amantadine in these products is an adulterant. Chinese authorities have also assured us that they will perform additional screening and will follow up with jerky pet treat manufacturers. FDA has notified the U.S. companies that market jerky pet treats found positive for amantadine of this finding and are testing both imported and domestic jerky pet treats for amantadine and other antivirals.

The agency continues to caution pet owners that jerky pet treats are not required for a balanced diet and encourage them to consult with their veterinarians, both prior to feeding treats and if they notice symptoms in their pets.

FDA continues to devote significant resources to this investigation and to work with its Vet-LIRN partners to gather and analyze new information as it becomes available. If your pet has experienced signs of illness that you suspect is related to jerky pet treats, please report it to FDA. While FDA does not necessarily respond to every individual complaint submitted, each report is valuable and becomes part of the body of knowledge that helps to inform our investigation.

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Fun & Frustrations: Some Tips on What to Expect When Bringing Home a New Puppy

Adding a puppy to your house or family can be an exciting time. They're cute, fluffy, playful, and endless entertainment. But they're also a new responsibility, a new threat to existing pets, and a new fixture of your home. The following tips are a few general guidelines and suggestions to consider when bringing home your new fur baby. As always, if you have any specific concerns with your new puppy, contact your vet as soon as possible.

General Tips
You want to consider all of these BEFORE you bring your new puppy home. Taking care of these four things before the little guy or gal is running around the house will make their welcome much more enjoyable.

• Schedule an appointment with your vet as soon as you know when you'll be getting them. You'll never get to know your real puppy if they're not acting themselves. But you just got them, so how will you know? A sick puppy will have difficulty being trained and adjusting to new environments. A vet can make sure your new puppy is healthy, growing, and developing as it should.

• Remember, puppies are babies. Just like human babies, they require lots of attention, lots of food, and lots of rest. Make sure your home and family are ready for this addition, and is an environment that can support your new family member.

• Make a crate training plan. Crate training can be a positive experience, for you and the puppy. Dogs instinctively enjoy having a safe place where they can sleep and rest. Make sure their crate is in a place and set up where the dog can treat it as their den. You want to have it somewhere near people, so they can hear and possibly see you as you go about your day, but you also want it in a spot where they won't be overstimulated. Make sure you ignore their whining and crying, and only approach them or let them out of the crate once they've settled down, positively reinforcing their behavior.

• Don't forget about your other pets, too. Make sure you take their adjustment into consideration as well. Maybe try a meet-and-greet before you bring your puppy into the house. And continue to pay attention to their needs after your new addition has settled in. Crate training may give you this opportunity to give your new pup alone time, and have the ability to give your other pets the attention they're used to.

Introducing Puppies to Homes with Other Dogs

Adding a puppy to any home... but adding a puppy to a home with other dogs can bring added difficulties. Consider these tips as you introduce your established dogs to their new roommate.

• Location, location, location. Where you choose to introduce your puppy to any other animal matters greatly to how they're going to react. Other young dogs may not have had time to firmly establish their territory so they may be okay meeting the new puppy inside, but in a large, neutral area (nowhere near their established sleeping area). Older dogs have had a chance to settle in and can consider your entire home their territory. Try introducing older dogs away from home, in a neutral location. For multiple dogs, young and old, introduce each one to the new puppy individually. You'll be able to control them better, and the new puppy won't feel like they're getting ganged up on.

• Give them the best chance to get along. Shared spaces should be clear of any personal toys or favorite blankets. Dogs possessive and jealous nature can take over and this may spark a fight. Though often easier said than done, feed and give treats to each dog separately. Also supervise every interaction the dogs may have. Until you're sure, you shouldn't just let the dogs out to play in the backyard unsupervised. You'll want to watch the puppy for fatigue, too. A tired puppy can get upset if it doesn't have the chance to rest. Just like a human baby, they need naps too.

Introducing Puppies to Homes with Cats

Much like introducing a puppy to a home with other dogs, getting your cat and new pup to meet can present a different set of challenges.

• Controlled contact. Make sure your puppy is leashed or crated when your cat is first introduced to them. You'll be able to stop any quick advances or lunges that may scare the cat off. The more at ease the cat can feel, the more it'll stick around and get comfortable with the dog. This could take several weeks, but so long as the cat is continuing to eat, drink, and otherwise remain healthy, don't be too concerned if it takes a while for the cat to completely warm up to the new dog. Be sure to trim the cat's nails, especially if its taking more time for them to warm up to each other.

• Provide an escape route. Create a safe haven for your cat if it decides it needs to escape. Shelves, stairs, or a gated off area can provide a place for a cat to feel secure, yet able to observe the new dog. Make sure the route to the food, water, and litter box (if applicable) are not blocked or potentially guarded by the dog.

• Perfect training opportunity. Use the time you're commanding and training your new puppy as a good opportunity to have the cat around. The puppy should be calm and listening to your commands anyway, so it might be the best chance for a cat to further examine their new roommate.

• Follow through with continuous training. A dog is never done training. Continuous and universal training help reinforce the commands you've given them. Include time with the cat in this continuous training. Don't stop doing something because you're sure they're trained, always follow through with training you've established from the start.

Preventing Future Puppy Problems

Starting off and establishing good training in a new puppy will go strides in preventing future issues with your new dog. Consult your vet before adopting a new puppy, they know your animals almost as well as you do, and an outside observer might be able to offer some advice that will make your transition smoother. Preadoption counseling might also be available through vet clinics and shelters. Make sure you supervise your new puppy with every interaction they have with a housemate. The two may be fine when you're watching, but one might be bullying the other when your back is turned. All pets should have a safe space to escape to, if need be. Make sure crates are available for dogs and puppies, and high shelving perks, or a gated off space at least, for cats. With positive reinforcement and realistic goals, you'll have an easier time introducing a new puppy to your family.

Credit: Information from Dr. Laurie Bergman, "Advice for Clients with New Puppies" featured in Applied Behavior, NAVC Clinicians Brief, March 2011.