Confusion over new pet vaccinations

No one likes taking a pet dog to the vet and wincing as your "best friend" gets a shot.
But vaccinations are critical for animal health and some are required by law.
However, those laws have changed, leaving many owners confused.
So who's calling the shots?
They dominate the sidewalk at this Arlington dog-wash, sometimes by the hundreds.
Pets and their people, waiting on low-cost vaccines.
"$7? Can't beat it," said one person in the line.
"It's a lot cheaper to do it here than it would be for the vet!" said another.
"People come here to get their pets protected, they don't just come here necessarily to get shots," said veterinarian, Johnny Todd.
Twice a week - vets and techs offer $7 rabies vaccinations and other shots and tests, if required.
Veronica has brought "Rocky" in for the first time.
The cost here is half or a third what it would otherwise cost.
But just as problematic as cost - according to some animal experts - the confusion over what vaccines are required - and how often.
"There is a lot of misinformation out there among the general public," said Professor Bonnie Beaver, a professor at Texas A &M Vet School.
In Texas, rabies shots were required annually.
Now, because of improved vaccines, they're required once every three years.
"I haven't heard about that," said Dustin Music, a dog owner.
"So people go to their vets, and they get all these shots done and the vets not going tell you not to get everything done if it's not necessary, because they want your money. So people get their pets over-vaccinated for sure," said another dog owner, Ebony Danek.
There is a sizeable mark-up in vaccines when given in a vet clinic.
But most vets say - equally as important - is the check-up a dog receives at the same time.
"As each vet is trying to weigh out the risks in their endemic area, versus the potential side effects," said veterinarian, Jennifer Lavender.
Dr. Jennifer Lavender recently found a life-threatening condition on a dog when it came in for a required vaccine.
"And we found a congenital heart murmur on that puppy and now he's slated for surgery at A&M," she added.
Legal vaccine requirements vary.
Some municipalities still mandate an annual rabies vaccination, regardless of state policy.
Add to that the variations in other so-called "core" vaccines for hepatitis, parvo and distemper.
And the opinions fly.
"Some veterinarians take the position that it's not gonna hurt the dog to give these extra vaccinations, and let's err on the side of precaution... but twice as much isn't necessarily as good," said Don Praeger from the Arlington Humane Society.
"There are some studies that indicate that it can cause an increase in sarcomas which are cancerous tumors," he added.
He - like some owners - administers non-rabies vaccinations himself - to be certain his border collie Rolex doesn't get too much.
But even that can be problematic, if the medicine has not been handled properly.
"Most of the cases of disease that we see are... in animals that have been vaccinated by their owners," said Professor Beaver.
Still, most animal science experts say the vast majority of dogs are better served with regular vaccines - administered on a case-by-case basis by veterinarians.
Factors like age, lifestyle and geography all play a part.
Older dogs don't need most vaccines.
Puppies do.
Hunting dogs need more protection than indoor, urban dogs.
Like humans, each dog needs customized care and each vet needs clients.
And each veterinarian needs to make money, but can - in partnership with an owner - provided critically-important preventative care.
Prevention and a slight prick to keep hounds healthy.

Major headway seen in control of stray cats

THE Doha Municipality’s trap-neuter-return (TNR) programme has treated about 12,000 cats so far and is going strong, Gulf Times was told.Dorothy Smit, who helps run the Qatar Cat Coalition (QCC), which co-ordinates TNR, explained that the programme needs the continued and full co-operation of landlords and residents.The aim of the programme is not the eradication of the feral cat population in Qatar, but rather its stabilisation. There are an estimated 50,000 feral cats in the country.“The cat population actually serves a great purpose in that they control the numbers of insects and rats,” she observed.Volunteers can get involved in the TNR programme, implemented and carried out by the municipality with government funding, by contacting Smit.

Residents who are growing tired of the noise and mess made by cats on their compounds, and animal-lovers alike, could contact Smit who will provide traps so the cats can be neutered and returned.The reason the cats need to be returned, as she explained, is that if they are released elsewhere they attempt to return to their original territory, and this often results in the cats being run over and killed.“Also, an empty compound will only become inhabited with more, un-neutered cats, and so it is better to return the neutered cats which can create a stable population,” Smit said.The municipality also humanely euthanises any unhealthy cats that would otherwise spread infection and disease, creating an unhealthy population.“The number of cats that have been euthanised so far is in line with internationally recognised guidelines for this sort of a programme,” she said.Asked if she believed that the cat population would stand in 10 years, Smit said that Qatar would be in line with European countries which have run similar programmes, and that the cat population would be nearer 10,000 in total.Smit is very hopeful that what has become a problem because of past inadequacies, is solvable, but also recognises the fact that it will take a concerted effort and concentration of resources to make a significant change. “Before this programme, the municipality poisoned stray cats to control the population, which actually does more harm than good in terms of numbers in the long term. And the act of poisoning the cats is despicable and should be punishable,” she said.There have recently been reports of landlords taking the cat issue into their own hands, and laying out poisoned bait in their compounds, but this is highly dangerous, and in fact sets back the TNR programme, because new cats always replace those that have moved on or been killed.Smit recommends that anyone who finds evidence of this practice going on should acquire photographic evidence and leave the bait, which only specialists should touch. Smit, who was once the chairperson of ‘Feline Friends’ in Abu Dhabi, says that although there are more difficulties trying to re-home abandoned animals here, the effects of the TNR programme, and the outlook in Qatar is far advanced compared to other Gulf countries. “Qatar is very forward thinking in this matter, and the free assistance by the government is an indication of this, and there are also plans to introduce a similar programme for dogs.”However, the lack of legal guidance on these issues is a problem. There are certain laws in place to deal with animal welfare, but they are archaic and fail to support the work the people are trying to do here. “At the moment, poisoning feral cats is not actually illegal,” said Smit, “but a new law is being investigated, and hopefully it will soon be a punishable crime.”She said that “although the government is willing and able to help this programme for free, the country does require some sort of Animal Welfare or RSPCA organisation.”“This is to protect and safeguard the rights of animals, provide legal guidelines and assistance, and also educate people here on the subject of pet-owning and other issues,” she added.Anyone wishing to get involved with QCC can call Dorothy on 5880142, or e-mail her at dorothysmit@hotmail.com

All Locked Up, No Place To Go

BRANDON - It doesn't take much to get a dog to wag its tail - a pat on the head, a kind word, a run or a walk in the fresh air.
The dogs that end up at the Hillsborough County Animal Services shelter on Falkenburg Road don't always get those little extras. There's only so many staff members to care for the thousands of abused, neglected or abandoned dogs and cats that stay at the shelter each year.
Its operators hope caring animal lovers will help. Under a new program, volunteers are being welcomed to the shelter to help care for the animals.
Using a combination of resources from animal support organizations, recruits are trained to walk dogs, socialize with cats, clean animal cages, launder blankets and escort people interested in adopting a pet through the maze of cages.
The program, which is in its sixth month, is improving the animals' quality of life and their chances for adoption. Previously, about 10 percent of the shelter's animals were adopted each year and the remainder euthanized. During the first three months of the volunteer program, adoptions were up by 51 percent, in part because volunteers help the animals become more attractive to prospective owners.
About 200 volunteers have signed on to help and contributed more than 6,000 hours so far at the shelter, which houses about 500 to 800 animals on any given day.
Karyn Ringhaver of Apollo Beach volunteers at least one day a week, walking dogs, cleaning cages, laundering animal blankets and performing other duties.
"I love animals. That is why I am here," she said. "There's so much work to do, and they are so understaffed here. I would come every day if I could."
The recent bout of cold weather meant the animals needed more blankets, and there were large piles that needed washing in the hallway of the wing where Ringhaver volunteers.
"Have you ever seen so much laundry?" she asked. Working with two other volunteers, Sue Green and Alyce McCathran of Apollo beach, Ringhaver said by the time the volunteer team wraps up its shift, each dog has enjoyed a walk and has a clean cage, a clean blanket, a treat and a toy.
Marti Ryan, coordinator of community relations for Animal Services, said more volunteers are needed, especially on weekdays.
Money to pay the salary for volunteer coordinator Cathy Carr and other efforts to increase adoption rates comes from a grant from the ASPCA's Mission: Orange and the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Other agencies working with Animal Services are the Animal Coalition of Tampa Bay and No More Homeless Pets, a coalition of individuals and animal welfare groups.
The ASPCA has committed up to $200,000 to the county for three years with a goal of increasing the homeless pet adoption rate to 50 percent by 2010.
Volunteers can help in a number of ways, Ryan said. They can photograph new arrivals and post the pets' pictures on the shelter's Web site, bathe and groom them, feed them, match animals at the shelter with descriptions of lost pets, assist with veterinarian services and walk and socialize dogs and cats.
"A dog that is clean and well-fed and exercised is happier and will show much better to prospective new owners," she said.
"Having a volunteer who knows the animals and who can escort families looking for a pet to the right one is a big plus," Ryan said. "This is a huge place with hundreds of animals."
Jackie and Joe Osborne and their son Jake, 14, of Valrico, are regular Saturday volunteers at Animal Services. Jackie Osborne, a dog obedience trainer for the past 15 years, supervises Joe in handling larger dogs. Because of an injury, she can't handle the large animals.
The family got involved in animal volunteer work when the older son, Robert, 18, volunteered at a no-kill animal center while the military family was living in North Carolina.
Robert Osborne works with a veterinarian, but the rest of the family has taken up volunteering at Animal Services.
"Jake does the escorting of civilians to the back areas. Because he has been around dogs his whole life, he knows what kind of dog a family might like," Jackie Osborne said. "We do this because we love animals and because we feel it's important to help the communities we live in," she said.
"People need to give Animal Services a chance. They are not the old dog pound. And they are doing the best they can. There is so much work to do, and they are understaffed."