The Animal Doctor
600 Industrial Dr. Unit L
Cary, Il. 60013
847-516-8190
Dr. Lori Wyatt
Volume 4, Issue 2
A NEWSLETTER PROVIDED AS A SERVICE FOR OUR VALUED CLIENTS
Spring 2007
Bungling in the Jungle with Jethro Tull's Lead Cat
By Steve Dale
days in somewhat more intimate venues than
the large stadiums they once filled. They've
appeared live in 40 countries, and have recorded 30 albums selling over 60 million copies. In
2003, Anderson released his fourth solo album,
“Rupi's Dance.”
Flautist Ian Anderson
says the Jethro Tull 1974
hit recording “Bungle in
the Jungle” was meant as
a metaphor for the dog eat
dog world of modern life in the big business
'jungle.'
Personally, you'd never see Anderson in
the real jungle, which is surprising because he's
a supporter of field research of small wild cats,
many live in jungles. “I'm strictly an arm chair
conservationist,” he says by telephone from his
home in rural Southwest England.
He's just not about to bungle in any jungle. “Are you kidding? I like flushing toilets,
and I don't want to be plagued by mosquitoes
Ian Anderson performs for a captivated audience
or taken away by kidnappers.”
Anderson, who is 59, is known to rap about
whatever pops into his head in concert, has been
performing as a musician for 44 years.
Anderson continues to tour with Tull, but these
Anderson loves talking music and about
the biz, but if there's one topic he likes talking
about nearly as much, it's small wild cats. He's
unabashedly passionate about the 26 species of
mostly unknown wild felines including the
Margay, Ocelot, Geoffroy's Cat, Pallas' Cat, the
exceedingly rare Bornean Bay Cat and the
African Sand Cat (which may be the progenitor
of the domestic cat). He helps to support
research and conservation efforts for these cats,
most of them endangered species.
cont’d on pg 3
MERIAL MUSINGS
Herriot Was A Hero: Why I became A Veterinarian
By Scott Vande Griend, DVM
When I was five or six years old, our family dog was hit by a car. I have very vague memories of that sad and traumatic day, but I remember very clearly a tall man in a white coat bending down on one knee, putting his arm around me
and gently explaining Wendy had died. The
kindness and respect offered made a lasting
impression.
Later, when I was a little older, as I read the
James Herriot series of books; my decision was
cemented - I WAS going to be a veterinarian.
Growing up in a small agricultural community in
Iowa and working on my uncle's farm in the summers, volunteering as a veterinary assistant, and
other jobs involving animals just drove my desire
even deeper. It seemed I was constantly involved
in animal care and was impressed by the impact
of veterinary medicine on animals.
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the
actual practice in England where Alf Wight, the
“real James Herriot” lived and cared for the animals in his community of Thirsk. It is located in
a small farming town, much like the town I grew
up in. As I peered across the shelves in his tiny
“pharmacy” (actually a closet) trying to read the
faded labels on the antique glass bottles, I was
amazed. Many of the “drugs” they used in those
days are today considered toxins or poisons “extract of Strychnine,” “mercuric chloride,” and
“Henbane” were some of the scary names I read.
The ability of veterinarians to cure disease and
treat illness was very limited in those days, and
history shows that many of the treatable and
"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot about puppies," - George Hill
cont’d on pg 2
Herriot was a Hero cont’d from pg 1
curable diseases today were considered fatal back then, despite
heroic efforts.
I felt a sense of pride when I thought about how far we've
come in veterinary medicine. For example, in those days, heartworm disease killed thousands and thousands of dogs a year, with
no way to prevent it. Then a medicine was discovered that could
prevent heartworm disease with a daily pill, and today, a once-amonth tasty treat safely prevents this common killer. But if you do
not use the medicine, your dog is at risk. Sadly enough, about half
the dogs in the United States still do not get heartworm preventive.
On the other paw, heartworm disease is 100 percent preventable.
That would make Herriot very happy.
FROM THE AVMA
World Veterinary Day Reminds Health Scientists About Unity
On April 28, 2007, veterinarians
around the world celebrated World
Veterinary Day (WVD). This event promotes the successes of veterinary medicine
in animal health, medical research, food
safety and public health, among other contributions. The event called for unity
among veterinarians everywhere. In an
age when scientists in America are studying avian influenza in birds from China
with a goal to prevent a human pandemic,
the global nature of veterinary medicine
has become undeniably clear.
In fact, the American Veterinary
Medical Association (AVMA) is promoting
the need for more unity among all health
scientists. Promoted as the “one world,
one health, one medicine” concept, AVMA
President Dr. Roger Mahr says that World
Veterinary Day provided a great platform
to talk about his “one world” initiative's
importance.
“When you consider that 75 percent of
all emerging disease in the last 20 years are
zoonotic (they infect animals and humans),
and you consider that in the United States
38,000 animals cross the U.S. border every
day, these facts indicate that animal health
is truly at a crossroads,” Mahr explains.
“The convergence of animal health, human
health, and ecosystem health dictates that a
one world, one health, one medicine concept be embraced.”
The “one world” initiative calls for all
health sciences professionals, the health
sciences colleges and schools-including
veterinary schools and human medical colleges. Also, health sciences associations,
government agencies and related industries
should coordinate efforts on a global basis
to combat disease and promote health by
working even closer with one another.
The problem is that many people don't
understand the relationship between veterinary medicine and human health, food
safety, public health, animal welfare and
environmental sciences; that's why World
Veterinary Day and the “one world” initiative remain so important. They remind us
that by working together science and health
can be advanced.
Yorkshire Terriers Aspire To Rule The World
By Steve Dale
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Like any trendy breed, Haber worries
about unscrupulous breeders. “They're not
breeding for quality; they're in it only to make
a dollar,” she says. “Make sure you know who
you're getting a dog from. I don't recommend
them (Yorkies) for families with small children, who unintentionally can hurt such a
small dog. Overall, though, they're pretty sturdy. Great to travel with, I take one of my dogs
to the movies; he likes comedies.”
Lisa Peterson, director of Club
Communications at the AKC in New York
adds that the Yorkshire Terrier is also the
trendiest of all dog breeds. “Yorkies are
portable, and for some the attraction is putting bows in their hair - the foo-foo dog. But
for those who prefer a scrappier dog, well,
after all, they are terriers.”
The second trendiest breed is the Cavalier
King Charles Spaniel, moving up from number 31 on the AKC chart to number 27. The
Cavalier has increased in popularity enormously in recent years. In 2000, they were
number 54 and barely known by the general public.
Nipping at the heels of the Golden
Retriever for several years, the diminutive
Yorkshire Terrier is now the second most
popular dog breed, according to American
Kennel Club registration numbers. The
German Shepherd Dog, previously at number four moved up a notch to three while the
Golden fell to fourth place. The Beagle
rounds out the top five.
For the 15th consecutive year, the
Labrador Retriever is the most popular dog
breed. That's no surprise. However, no one
expected the Yorkie to dig into the number
two spot. After all, a decade ago, they were
back at number nine on the AKC chart. “If
nothing else, Yorkies are determined,” says
Sharon Haber, a Yorkshire terrier breeder
from New York City.
cont’d on pg 4
Bungling in the Jungle
cont’d from pg. 1
“I just received an email from (field
researcher) Dr. Jim Sanderson,” says
Anderson. “He was the first to photograph
the Andean Mountain Cat (photos on
Anderson's portion of the Jethro Tull website: http://www.j-tull.com/news/archives/
andeanproject.html
It's a favorite because this cat is such a
mystery, living above 12,000 feet. This
hardy and adaptable animal is probably
threatened on many fronts.” Many small
wild cats are hunted for fur and/or food, and
sold illegally for the pet trade (decidedly not
a good idea since they're wild animals and
make poor pets). In many areas their environments have been taken over by farms or
destroyed for development.,” he says. says.
But why wild cats as a cause celeb? He
explains, “I've loved cats since I was a small
Flautist Ian Anderson
boy (in Scotland). Since being married (for
29 years) to Shona and living in the country,
we've raised many litters of abandoned feral
Fact or Fiction:
Urban Myth?
This game is called “Fact or f iction.” According to the ASPCA Animal
PPoison Control center, some of the following are urban myths and some are not.
• FEBREZE ® kills dogs: Fiction. FEBREZE ® is common spray product
intended to eliminate odors, including pet smells. According ASPCA tests,
there is no issue linking pet health and FEBREZE ® (except potentially any
spray product is dangerous to birds).
• Chocolate can kill: Fact. Chocolate products may be toxic to animals
because they metabolize a chemical called theobromine more slowly than
humans. Depending on their weight and how much they've eaten some pets
are not affected, while others are. The smaller the dog, they greater the danger. Dark chocolate contains higher theobromine concentrations and is more
dangerous.
• Bad cooking can kill your pet bird. Fact. Commonly called Teflon toxicity.
Non-stick heating surfaces heated at too high a temperature (often above
530ºF) results in caustic fumes - which may not smell, but can cause serious
respiratory distress, which can result in death.
• SWIFFER ® kills dogs: Fiction. This is an Internet rumor; used as directed,
there is no danger.
• TYLENOL ® (Acetaminophen) kills cats: Fact. Just one regular-strength
tablet (325 mg) of acetaminophen (the main ingredient in TYLENOL ® and
several other non-aspirin pain relievers) may be toxic and potentially lethal
to cats.
• Macademia nuts kills dogs: Fiction. Some dogs eat just a few of these nuts
and nothing happens. Depending on the size of the dog and how many are
ingested, in 12 to 24 hours affected dogs’ back legs may become paralyzed.
These dogs also run a moderate to mild fever and may have stomach upset.
Then, within 72 hours or shortly thereafter - they’re back to normal as if
nothing ever happened. Still, it's best to keep the Macademia nuts away from
your dogs.
kittens. We've managed to hand tame them,
and get them good homes. The extension to
wild cats was an easy one. Besides, so many
are out there doing 'the human thing.' Elton
(John) gives huge amounts to AIDS, and Bob
Geldoff and Bono are concerned about Africa
and Third World debt. I don't know anyone else
in my profession helping small wild cats.
When it comes to the little guys, if I don't, who
will?”
Anderson walks a bit on the wild side
with his own pet cats. He has Bengal cats, originally developed from wild Asian Leopard
Cats (another kind of small wild cat) crossed
with domestic cats. Today, the spotted Bengals
are totally domestic, but they retain the look of
a small wild cat. He says, “Cats are what a part
of us all yearn to be - free. Free to think and to
do as we please.”
Puppy's First Steps
Welcome to the fourth year of PAWPRINTS. I
am grateful to our sponsor, Merial, and also to
the American Veterinary Medical Association
for their ongoing determined commitment to
reach people who have pets. I hope you find
PAWPRINTS interesting and informative.
Our PAWPRINTS guarantee: Love your pets,
and they will love you back
ABOUT THE EDITORS
Steve Dale – Editor-in-Chief. The 2002
AVMA Humane Award winner. Steve is a contributing editor for USA Weekend, and the
author of My Pet World, syndicated in over 100
newspapers by Tribune Media Services. He’s
heard on Pet Central Sundays, 8 to 10 p.m. on
WGN radio (or www.wgnradio.com). His syndicated radio shows are Steve Dale’s Pet World
and The Pet Minute with Steve Dale. Steve’s
also a TV regular appearing on The Oprah
Winfrey Show, National Geographic Explorer
and various Animal Planet shows. He lives
with his Devon Rex cat Roxy; Lucy, a miniature Australian Shepherd; Ethel, a King Daley
Shepherd; and Cosette, a Northern bluetongue skink. Steve’s website is located at
www.stevedalepetworld.com.
By Nicholas Dodman
Eight million new puppies are born annually in the United States and are eagerly acquired by
optimistic new owners. Lots of new questions pop into the minds of these owners. How should
they prepare for the new puppy’s arrival? How should they transport the pup back home? How
should they introduce the new arrival to existing family and other pets? What should they feed
the pup? When should that puppy be vaccinated and de-wormed? What is the right age to start
training, and what training methods should they use?
In their quest for information, they might listen to words of wisdom imparted by the breeder
and, if they’re sensible, they will pay a quick visit to a veterinarian to find out about medical
matters. But information obtained this way may be far from comprehensive, not easily
remembered, and, in some cases, may even be inaccurate or out of date. And misinformation
when it comes to raising a puppy can have detrimental long-term effects.
Sure, there are books out there that might help with some aspects of raising a puppy and
there’s information about how to feed puppies on the Internet; but there is no single
comprehensive resource that allows new puppy owners to obtain all the information that they
need before and after acquisition of their new charge - until now.
“Puppy’s First Steps: The Whole-Dog Approach to Raising A Happy, Healthy Puppy, ” by the
Faculty of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University (edited by Nicholas
Dodman with Lawrence Linder) contains unique insights into how to choose the right food for a
growing pup and a heads-up on the kinds of physical problems they may face down the road of
life, and how to deal with them if they do occur. There is no substitute for the user friendly
information contained in this book, which I believe is as necessary for new puppy owners as a
collar and lead. This book is to raising puppies what Doctor Spock’s book was to parents many
years ago.
Dr. Nicholas Dodman - Guest Columnist:
Yorkies Rule the World cont’d from pg 2
Dr. Dodman is professor, director, Animal
Behavior Clinic Cummings School of
Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
Kim Thornton, a columnist at www.msnbc.com and pet book author, has Cavalier King
Charles Spaniels of her own, and says she understands their rise on the AKC pop chart. “They're
small, and people want small these days because small is portable,” she says, “But they're not
fragile. They're a spaniel, and (they) love to play fetch.”
Contributors—
American Veterinary Medical Association
Scott Vande Griend DVM, Merial District
Manager
Paul Biniasz, Illustrator
Email— [email protected]
FEBREZE® and SWIFFER® are registered
trademarks of Proctor & Gamble.
TYLENOL® (Acetaminophen) is a registered
trademark of The TYLENOL® Company.
Copyright ©2007 by Merial Limited and Steve
Dale, except where noted. All rights reserved.
All rights to articles belong to their respective
authors, except where noted.
CM.PP.7.2
Thornton noted the rise in popularity, in general, of small dogs. In fact, 14 of the top twenty breeds are all typically under 25 lbs. Indeed the third most trendy breed is the Havanese
(which averages around 9 to 13 lbs.), moving up from 43 to number 38 on the AKC list. This
distant relative of the Bichon Frise was number 104 on the AKC list ten years ago. “They're
spunky, and people like spunky,” Peterson says.
The breed that dropped the most in popularity happens to be one of America's favorites, the
Golden Retriever. Number four (where the Golden is now) is as low as the breed has ranked in
recent memory. Another inexplicable drop is the Lhasa Apso, which dropped from 39 to 46.
Peterson has no real explanation for the drop in popularity of the Golden Retreiver or the Lhasa
Apso. She does, however, have a viable explanation for the fall from grace of the American
Staffordshire terrier to number 66 on the AKC chart from number 63, with registrations falling
8 percent. “They're mistaken for pit bulls and, as a result, are banned in many places,” says
Peterson. “It's a shame; the truth is they're great family dogs.”
FEATURED WEBSITES:
Steve Dale
www.stevedalepetworld.com
www.petworldradio.net
American Kennel Club
www.akc.org
ASPCA
www.aspca.org
American Veterinary Medical Association
www.avma.org
American Heartworm Society
www.heartwormsociety.org
Companion Animal Parasite Control
www.capcvet.org
Behavior Resources: American College of
Veterinary Behavior
www.dacb.org
American Society of Animal Behavior
www.avsabonline.org
Int. Assoc. of Animal Behavior Consultants
www.iaabc.org
American Association of Feline Practitioners
www.aafponline.com
Good News for Pets
www.goodnewsforpets.com
Winn Feline Foundation
www.winnfelinehealth.org
Ian Anderson’s Cat Page
jethrotull.com/musicians/iananderson/wittering.html
Jethro Tull
www.jethrotull.com