Healthy Pets
 

CONFIRMED: Cat with H1N1
 

From Banfield's newsletter:

On Wednesday, Nov. 4, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) issued a statement confirming that a cat in Iowa tested positive for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus. Iowa state officials confirmed that this is the first time a cat has been diagnosed with a strain of influenza.

The cat, which is recovering, is believed to have contracted the virus from a human in the household who had H1N1. There are no indications that the cat passed the virus on to any other Pets or to other people. Prior to this diagnosis, the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus had been found in humans, pigs, birds and ferrets. The virus was confirmed in two ferrets in Nebraska and one in Oregon. There have been no reports of infection in dogs.

As with humans, supportive care is the only treatment available for Pets with this virus. However, if your Pet has a fever, cough/sneeze and nasal discharge and someone in your household has had an influenza-like illness the week prior to the illness of your Pet, you should contact your local Banfield veterinarian.

So this really surprised me. I didn't realize H1N1 had been found in birds and ferrets either.

I never Ever gave my pets Rawhide treats....my family + companion always complained that i was being too severe, snobby....
I would tell them exactly why I refused and of course the inevitable "Ohhhh" followed....
I did give Natural treats...
Dried chicken breast treats specifically for my pooch...
Greenies....
Real bones...femurs, oxtails...and the occasional pizzle stick...
Of course for my ferrets, Cheweasels, n-bone, and a maximum 2 nuggets of Marshal treat or the all-meat treats, plus Ferret crack..or Ferretone....

When I found out Ferrets can get h1n1, I doubled my effort to sanitize and avoid snibbly people upTown....
my county has a few cases, and 1 infant fatality....

For other ferret owners that have Sickly ferrets or Older ferrets that can't eat solids well..

duk soup can be as basic as you want it to be
3 chicken Thighs/legs (about a lb)
about 1/2 cup of premium FERRET kibble
about 1 tbsp of Ferretone*or more..if they're stubborn*
half jar 1st stage baby food MEAT..{beef, chicken, turkey, lamb...your pick...i oftentimes did chicken, turkey or lamb]
Pedialyte (non-flavored) 2 tbsp


Pretty simple, boil the chicken and keep the broth, break the chicken up into small piece and put into a blender, add about 1/2 cup of the broth. Blend untill liquid. Add a bit of the broth to the kibble to allow it to soften up, then blend with a bit of broth, adding Pedialyte + baby food. Mix all the liquids together, add some ferretone and mix. You can add more broth if needed to make it liquidy..
The consistency is really up to the ailing/older ferrets ability to eat..try not to make it too soupy...
Gotta keep in mind, they will poop it, and it'll be incredibly "Ripe" if it's not balanced out...
like a baby eating baby food...
If there's leftover, pour them in ice cube tray, freeze, then heat up whenever needed, not too hot..just lukewarm...

Great thread. I have two dogs myself, one young, one old. My older furkid has started having problems eating hard food, so she started dropping weight a bit. I went to the store, bought cans of wet food and a tube of Nurtical, and she is back to normal. I do have to stick Bob in another room, as a chihuahua, he will eat any and everything. He is already a walking furry table as it is. So, he gets dry food, and the Queen gets wet food. All good.

And don't forget those weird little soft ball like things from China that my brother's dog swallowed. Lots of dogs have had to have surgery over those. I just had to pick up Doberman puke. :eek:

My dogs get milkbones. Only. If they feel like chewing, they have Kong balls and rubber toys for that.

I'm looking at taking ownership of my friend's pet. She has to give her away (long story) and I would rather take the pet than her giving it to a random person. It's a miniature chocolate dapple dachshund. The great thing is that the pet knows me and she's house broken, crate trained and so on. The not so great thing is that I will no longer be able to pick up and leave for weekend getaways on a whim like I am able to now. I want the pet and have been thinking of having one for a long while now, but I know it is a huge responsibility for me and I know there's a lot to ponder over with this new addition to my home.

My niece makes dog cookies. She shared some with the Del Valle dogs who LOVED them. Here is her recipe.

A*'s Dog Cookies

Preheat oven to 375F. Lightly grease cookie sheet.

Combine:
2 C flour
1 T baking powder
Set aside.

Slowly pour 1 Cup milk into 1 Cup Peanut Butter (Crunchy or Smooth – your dog’s choice). Mix until smooth

Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until all ingredients are mixed together. Form into a ball and then knead on a LIGHTLY floured surface for a few minutes. Flatten (or roll) out to about ½ inch thickness and cut with cookie cutter (A* uses a tree shaped cookie cutter, but you can use whatever you have on hand).

Place on lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Store in an airtight container

I think I might be inclined to use a different liquid for the mixing. I'll have to experiment.

Dental?
 

Hey Legend!

You may have already done this - if so ignore me - but have you had your furkid checked by a vet to see if she needs a dental? Gum disease and tooth problems will make them go off eating anything that's going to be painful. Just a thought.

H1N1 in cats is not a surprise, as they can contract type-A influenza. They don't pass it to other cats, but they can get it from humans. Flu in ferrets is quite common; they are one of the animals that are used in flu testing.

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I always feed my dog the best possible dry food and treats that I could find. Most of his life he was on Natura products, first California Natural then, when it became available in my area, Innova. He got the occasional table scrap, but never enough to impact his diet. I kept him away from the vet and medications as much as possible, he had minimal shots and didn't take any of those expensive monthly pills that vets always recommend. He never had a flea or tick problem, so this decision didn't jeopardize his health in any way. He finally passed this week at the age of 18, so I figure that I must have been doing something right all those years.

MsDemeanor Im sorry for your loss. Your pup lived a full life Im sure :)

This site has some great pet recipes if anyone is interested. I have tried making a couple myself...uumm for my dog Gouda of course although I will admit I tried them after they were baked. Hey I love Gouda too much to allow her to try something I wouldnt eat myself ;)

http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Recipes.htm

Thank you for the kind words. It's kinda hard to be too sad, 18 years is twice what most folks get with their furbabies.