Tracking the next pandemic: Avian Flu Talk |
Prayers for pets-Dogs with Swine Flu? |
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Medclinician
V.I.P. Member Valued Member Since 2006 Joined: July 08 2009 Status: Offline Points: 23322 |
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Posted: August 23 2009 at 12:50pm |
I have researched this and there are no documented cases where humans have given animals Swine Flu. We have had a case, at least where we had a titer of SF antibody in me, and my dear dog got some kind of flu or something (not Parvo) had trouble breathing and died. The cat has a fever and is ill- and three of the other dogs were or are sick.
Since I currently still have some kind of Flu and a fever- it may be an incredible coincidence. But I do ask those out there who love dogs to pray for my snow white malamute who is now in dog heaven. I have not turned this in because I am sincerely concerned if they link up this to cats or dogs, millions of animals (pets) will be killed. Since no one is particularly that interested enough to investigate my flu anyway-I think my dog will rest in peace undisturbed and be there for me when I pass over. Medclinician |
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hope4bestprep4wrst
V.I.P. Member Joined: August 01 2008 Status: Offline Points: 148 |
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Medclinician
I am very sorry to hear. Condolences. |
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Be Well
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Littleraven
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 10 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 438 |
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My deepest condolences as well. I dearly love animals and share a close bond with them. I consider them my friends and know that there is a special place where we go to be with them and they us. I worry for the people and I worry for our animal companions. I appreciate your thoughts for their safety. I will not allow anyone to harm my animals just as I protect my family. At some point we have to consider what makes human survival worth it---if we ourselves become less than dust and our inhumanity and arrogance continue to supersede our worth as a species--what then? Somehow I suspect that that may have something to do with all of this in the first place. I am sorry for your grief.
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There's a Bad Moon on the Rise
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Mary008
V.I.P. Member Joined: June 22 2009 Status: Offline Points: 5769 |
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cat has a fever and is ill-
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when I was a kid... the Vet told my mom that cats usually starve...and die... that I saved the cat by feeding it.
We had pocket doors to our kitchen and I put the cat in there on a chair... it couldn't breath well....there's lil Mary putting a big pot of water on the stove and digging out a large hunk of Vicks for the pot. I ground up chicken and milk in the blender and made a thick shake... fed it to kitty by giving a small spoonful (held mouth open) and gently holding it shut until she swallowed.
Have to be gentle and talk nicely. If you are allowed to turn your kitchen into a cat Hospital... all I could think of was mom gave Vicks...and dad said we had to have plenty of protien, poor cat. Just found the cutest photo of her "kittens" My Auntie would say to mom... Mar... are those cats or dogs? They're huge. (try to feed kitty Med...and let us know what happens.) pets are so loved...
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Medclinician
V.I.P. Member Valued Member Since 2006 Joined: July 08 2009 Status: Offline Points: 23322 |
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This is a very kind and useful post. Kitty is still hanging on and I will share a very personal experience. I was on the verge of tears when she sat there staring at me hunched and staring at the water bowl. I told her I knew there was no way she would ever understand my human word or her need to drink or she would die. She is a very affectionate cat and even though she was suffering she looked at me intently as I spoke. This has never happened to me with any animal. She then got up with difficulty, staggered to the water bowl,and drank. Well, that blew it for me, being the emotional person I am. There was an embarrassing display of sentiment which I am glad no one saw. She finally ate tuna and the dog is eating, barely drinking, but seems to be fighting this and making progress. Vicks saved my life as a child when I had pneumonia and almost died. I had never thought to put a vaporizer in the room, and help to soothe her lungs. Pets and animals are very personal things to many of us. I have been accused of treating my animals like children or people with people constantly chiding me- they are only animals. Perhaps I see the thread of awareness and emotion between us and our pets, far thinner than most. I know dogs who upon their masters death would go and sleep daily on their grave. There are stories of animals who have traveled thousands of miles to find their masters. We are such a proud species, and maybe it is the Native American in me, that feels even trees and every living thing is connected and that I have often watched my dogs dream and run in imaginary fields. The absolute unconditional love of an animal, sometimes transcends that of humans. A barking dog, her dearest pet of her life, awoke my wife and I when the gas was leaking and we would have died in our sleep. I have seen older women, bereft of almost all their family hold a tiny dog in their arms which looks with fierce protective, yet loving eyes, and in that small bundle was more love than I have seen in entire families which bicker and squabble, and yet constantly tell each other "I love you." Animals never say the word, they live it. It is said that in convalescent homes and those who have loving pets some live as much as 10 years longer than those who do not. There are those in life who hardly mourn the humans who die, much less the animals. The bible says, that not one sparrow falls and dies, that God does not know and is aware of. I am thankful for you for the well wishes for a part of my family- my animals. It is like when I run my hands through the earth of a newly plowed field, or look into a lazy river, or vibrant waterfall, or an azure sky on summer's day. They are a part of our lives, and we need to protect our forests, our animals, nature, and all living things from the fish in the ocean to the birds in the air. Without them, the world would be a very lonely place. Medclinician |
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SheepLady
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 31 2009 Location: PA Status: Offline Points: 302 |
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Hi, Med,
I would like to share a very personal story with you. I don't tell this much, because it is just too hard.
In the early 1990s, we adopted a very large female German Shepherd. She was one of the "super dogs" if you catch my drift. The family had small children and she simply did not understand the concept of fragility and hence would inadvertently push them around in her youthful exuberance to play ball. The mom stood outside her little blue house with white picket fence and tearfully tossed Holly's Mr. Klown toy into the back of my station wagon and off we went little knowing when Holly came to live with us our lives would be changed forever.
She was my perpetual guardian, and constant companion, there when my husband worked nights, vigilant against intruders, birds, or squirrels to the point of fanaticism. When the neighborhood kids helped me dig a fish pond, she was in the thick of it, digging with dirt flying everywhere. Same thing with planting flowers.
When we adopted another Shepherd from the pound, he came with kennel cough which she also caught. I spent a horrible Thanksgiving worrying over her, cooking turkey after turkey and feeding her broth as turkey was the only thing she would eat. She would recover and in a few years both dogs moved with us to our new country home.
We enjoyed our too short years left together. The thing about big dogs is they do not
live as long as little dogs. She developed heart failure at the age of 8. The vets gave her Lasix and Dig which did not help much with the cardiomyopathy, just helped get rid of some of the fluid basically. She could no longer lie down because of difficulty breathing and I knew her time had come and made plans to have her put to sleep.
Her final evening as she was attempting to get up to go out, she fell. She lay there incontinent upset she had had an accident and I could tell by the look in her eyes she was not as cognizant as she had been. She was slowly slipping away. I stroked her head and thanked her for all her years of love and friendship; she lingered for almost a half hour fighting to stay. Finally crying, I looked at her and said, "It is okay, girl, you can go." And at that instant , she did. My husband still talks about that to this day and I always cry when he tells the story.
I was inconsolable, sobbing and crying. As I sat there looking at her, thinking only of her too short life and the empty days ahead; suddenly a mental picture burst through overshadowing my grief. It was of a happy Holly at a lttle blue house with a white picket fence chasing a blue ball being thrown by a child, the very last thing I would have thought of. I knew immediately it was a message from Holly that she was trying to comfort me; I had not thought about her previous home in years. At that moment, I knew she was okay and will be there, waiting for me till I make the journey...
We buried her outside my bedroom window, where I can see her with a little stone that says "Here lies a faithful friend and companion." In her memory, I have planted a holly bush. an evergreen, which is covered with red berries.
Like your mental connection with your cat, we shared a sort of telepathy. People can say what they want about "animals" but those of us who know them well, know them to be something very special. It is hard to write this as the anniversary of her death approaches and I never forget, but I wanted to share this with you in your grief, and hope it helps some.
On another note, several years ago, there was a very bad dog flu that developed in greyhounds at the racetracks in Florida. Am wondering if somehow your guys might have contracted this since there are some tracks in WV.
You are all in my prayers, God Bless. It sounds like you may be over the hump on this one...but at great cost.
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SheepLady
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Hotair
Valued Member Joined: March 17 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 667 |
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What a sad but wonderful story,Sheeplady.It really brought tears to me eyes.
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abcdefg
Valued Member Joined: September 19 2008 Status: Offline Points: 578 |
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Med,
Please do not blame yourself. You do all you can to help everyone, not hurt them. I recalled seeing this once and wanted to tell you that. I believe that Parvo can be spread from Cat to Dog and to humans. In Humans they call it fifths disease or slap cheek. Some sites I am reading say they can not be spread to humans and others say it can. We all lknow how virus can mutate.
When my kids were little fifths disease always known as slap cheeck was a no big deal thing, that has changed. Mary correctly dx my grandson with it before the beach this year. So it is going around the country. I say around the country because as we know, what is here today is there tomorrow.
We had a dog get parvo back when it was first new, she was only a puppy and it was a new disease then, but it was awful because we were on vacation, and my idiot sister in law was taking care of her. Because she had the runs she kept her outside where the fliles laid eggs on her. We worked with her all night when we got home to save her, then when the vet opened we took her in. She was on a IV for a week, and the vet wanted to put her down. We did not let him, and she did survive but we could not afford to do another thing all summer with our kids. It is extremely expensive to save a animal with a disease like that.
Fast forward years later we got a new kitten with it and we had it put down. It was heartbreaking but it would have cost two thousand dollars with no promise of the kitten living.
Here is what I have found about it. You can see they are in the same family.
YOU DID NOT CAUSE anything Med. With the heart you have, you must believe it was your dogs time to go and there is going to be a new one that needs your love and home.
Debbie
human parvovirus infection is now considered a serious disease, and not just a mild rash experienced during childhood. This is because complications can occur, especially for people with unhealthy immune systems. The first step in dealing with a human parvo virus infection is diagnosis. But the procedures implemented in diagnosing a parvo virus infection will vary according to the condition of the person’s immune system. Here is how patients with parvoviruses are classified: Human Parvovirus B19 Classifications. Human Parvo Virus Symptons can also help with the diagnosis.
Based on the condition of the individual’s immune system, the parvo virus infection can be diagnosed in three major ways: the detection of the pronormoblasts, the detection of the B19 virus and the detection of antibodies. For people whose immune systems have been suppressed or compromised, the detection of the presence of the human parvovirus will carried out. For people with competent immune systems, the detection of the presence of antibodies will indirectly indicate the presence of the human parvo virus. The first cells that fall victim to the human parvovirus become cradles for the replication of the virus. They are called pronormoblasts. These are enlarged cells that can reach about 25 to 32 micrometers in diameter. Through the eyes of humans, the pronormoblasts may be small, but compared to other cells inside the body, they are giants. Unfortunately, individuals who have the HIV or suffering from other chronic infections do not have the pronormoblasts. Thus, other methods are used. In detecting the presence of the human parvo virus, any of these procedures are carried out. Some doctors may even use a combination of these procedures. Human Parvovirus B19 Detection and Diagnosis. To help you tell what fifths disease looks like, there are parvovirus pictures available. The detection of antibodies is specifically the detection of two types of antibodies. One is called the IgM and the other is called IgG. The presence of IgM implies a current or recent infection. The IgM will stay in the body for two to three months after infection. About 85% of immuno-competent patients produce the IgM antibodies. The IgG antibody is produced by almost all patients of human parvo virus infection. It is produced by the immune system two weeks after the infection has started. The IgG will stay in the human body for the rest of a person’s life. This provides the life-long immunity against the human parvo virus. Canine Parvovirus is also an issue. If you are a pet owner ( canine parvovirus picture page ), make sure to look into Canine Parvo virus to guard your family pet. Parvovirus in Puppies can also be an issue, so get them checked out young. There are also cases of Mouse Parvovirus. If you or your family have been in contact with a mouse, you may be at risk also. Women that are pregnant, or plan on getting pregnant should be aware of the risks of parvovirus and pregnancy. Parvovirus or "cat flu" in dogsDr W J Grobler BVSc. 1. INTRODUCTIONThe name "Cat flu" is misleading because even though cats suffer from a similar disease, the disease is not contracted from cats. The symptoms in dogs are due to intestinal involvement and very unlike flu symptoms. Dry, windy weather sees more cases which occur mostly in puppies, but previously unexposed, unvaccinated adult dogs are also at risk. Even with the best treatment available some animals still don't survive, so vaccination is of paramount importance in the prevention of this terrible disease. 2. CAUSEThis serious disease is caused by one of the smallest viruses known to man called Canine Parvovirus (CPV).(Parvo is the Latin for small). As many as 300 000 virus particles will fit into a millimeter! Albeit so small the virus is extremely tough and will survive most disinfectants. It may stay alive in the environment for as long as two years if conditions are favourable. In 1978 when the first cases of Parvovirus in dogs were seen, the virus spread all over the world in a matter of months, often without the involvement of dogs in the transmission. Massive numbers of virus occur in the stool of a sick dog. One gram of faeces may contain enough virus to infect 10 million susceptible dogs! The virus need certain enzymes to grow. These enzymes are found in rapid growing cells like the ones lining the intestinal tract. These cells grow quickly enough so that the intestinal lining is renewed every two to three days. If the virus grow inside these cells they break up leaving large areas of damaged lining that lead to severe loss of body fluids. The normal intestinal flora which under ordinary circumstances are pretty harmless, can now invade the body through the damaged areas. 3. SYMPTOMS
The symptoms usually appear very suddenly and susceptible pups may die within a few hours. Pups with large numbers of antibodies wil show much lighter symptoms. In rare instances animals may develop infection of the heart muscles with fatal results. A bitch with good immunity against parvo will transfer these antibodies to her pups in the uterus. They will then be protected to a large degree for a period of six to twelve weeks. Exposure to the virus, whether naturally or through vaccination wil enhance this immunity. Healthy puppies, like the one on the left should thus be vaccinated at six weeks of age, again four weeks later and preferably a third time another four weeks later. It is very unlikely that a pup that has had three properly administered vaccinations will contract the disease. It is however important to stress that puppies must be healthy and free from worms before they can be vaccinated. Because Parvovirus is one of the most frustrating diseases a vet has to put up with, vaccination remains the only efficient way of saving the puppy owner a lot of tears and regret. 4. TREATMENTAt present there are no affordable injectable drugs that kill viruses in the body, thus no specific treatment exists once the virus is inside the body. Treatment is aimed at curbing secondary bacteria, stopping vomiting and replenishing body fluids.
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Hotair
Valued Member Joined: March 17 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 667 |
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Parvo is a "species specific" virus. In my 26 years as a vet tech.,I have never heard of a cat getting the parvo virus as such.However, as you mentioned,it could mutate.....
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Medclinician
V.I.P. Member Valued Member Since 2006 Joined: July 08 2009 Status: Offline Points: 23322 |
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Sheeplady- first wanted to say much not only moved but empathize with your feelings especially about the 'special' ones. There are cats and there are dogs and there are Cats and Dogs. A Cat - once reached out of the cage at the shelter and nudged my arm with a paw and that was the beginning of a beautiful life long friendship.
Although bitter sweet, a kind of break in the relentless human slant to disease and some genuine compassion for the furry and feathered ones. Medclinician |
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SheepLady
V.I.P. Member Joined: May 31 2009 Location: PA Status: Offline Points: 302 |
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Thanks, Med and Hot Air.
I hope it helped some, Med. Sounds like your Cat chose you, and he (or she) chose well. They do that, you know...
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SheepLady
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