Latest news with #doghealth
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Man fights against deadly disease that killed dog after walk near Swindon
A man is continuing his fight against the deadly disease that killed his dog after a walk near Swindon. Shaun Reynolds lost his dog, Willow, to Alabama Rot, a rare disease that affects dogs, last year. Since then, he has been raising money for the Alabama Rot Research Fund. He has already raised £15,000, and hopes to reach his £20,000 target this month. Read more: Record-breaking beer and cider festival attracts over 1,400 people To help him reach his goal, he has organised a fundraising event called 'A Celebration of Willow #2' at Lambourn Sports Club on Sunday, June 29. The event will feature seven live whippet races on a purpose-built track on the club's football pitch. There will also be a three-piece traditional Irish band to entertain the crowds. Other activities include life-sized garden games, a bouncy castle, a charity Tote, a silent auction, and the chance for people to run their own dogs behind the lure ahead of the races. Food and drink will be provided by local vendors. Mr Reynolds hopes to raise £5,000 at the event. He said: "Last year blew me away. "I thought the event would be popular, but the turnout went beyond what I expected and everyone was complimentary afterwards which meant the world. "Willow's story has touched millions of people. "While losing her was completely devastating and still upsets me each day, her legacy can be to ensure as few dogs as possible go through what she experienced at the end." Willow died after 21 days of intensive care treatment. There is no cure for Alabama Rot, and it is not known how it is caught. An estimated 90 per cent of dogs infected die. To date, 338 cases of Alabama Rot have been confirmed. Mr Reynolds added: "There have been no reported cases of Alabama Rot within 40 miles of Lambourn – where she was infected – in the last year. "That hasn't happened since the disease was first identified over a decade ago. "It's impossible to know for sure, but I'd like to think she's helped to save a life or two. Read more: Swindon and Wiltshire Pride appoints first-ever patron "I'd love to see as many people trackside on June 29 for a genuinely fantastic and fun day out for all the family all for a fiver, with all proceeds going to the Alabama Rot Research Fund. "Hopefully see you then." Admission for 'A Celebration of Willow #2' is priced at £5, with the option for racegoers to pay £10, £15, or £20 per ticket should they wish to contribute additional funds. Cash is accepted on the day. Doors open at 1pm, with the first of seven races starting at 3pm. Parking is available onsite.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Dogs and cats can also suffer from allergies, but there are ways to help our furry friends
Dr. Karen Woodard check's Gail Friedman's dog, Ms. Roxie, for signs of allergies in Elmhurst, Ill. on May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Laura Bargfeld) About five years ago, Gail Friedman noticed her Parson Russell Terrier was constantly licking his paws and seemed super uncomfortable. 'The poor dog. I would put baby socks on his feet so that he wouldn't lick them or bite at them,' said Friedman, of Oak Brook, Illinois. 'I was constantly changing the socks, washing his feet a lot. Nothing worked.' It turned out her canine companion, Mr. Friedman, had allergies. It's a common and tricky problem in pets — caused by various things such as pollen, dust, mold, chemicals and food — but veterinarians say there are several ways to ease their suffering. What sorts of allergies do dogs and cats get? Allergies happen when the immune system overreacts to a foreign substance. Cats and dogs react to many of the same things people do, as well as pests like fleas. There are no definitive recent statistics on how many pets have allergies, but research suggests the problem is growing. 'I probably see allergic dogs and cats every single day, probably multiple times a day,' said Dr. Karen Woodard, medical director at Thrive Pet Healthcare-Elmhurst in Illinois. About 90 per cent of allergic pets react to environmental triggers, Woodard said, and the rest have food allergies only. Dog breeds that are especially vulnerable include various types of terriers, boxers and bulldogs; in cats, it's Persians, Siamese and Himalayans. Pets can even be allergic to other animals — cats to dogs, dogs to cats and either to another species. 'It's possible for them to be allergic to us, just like we are to them,' said Thrive's Dr. Anthea Elliott Schick of Scottsdale, Arizona, immediate past president of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology. How can you tell if your pet has allergies? Allergic cats and dogs aren't as likely as humans to sneeze and cough. More often, they scratch and lick themselves, shake their heads and develop ear infections. Woodard said her Yorkie mix, Teddy, had the classic signs — scratching around his shoulders and getting rashes and ear infections starting as a six-month-old puppy. She lived in the South at the time, and he tested positive for allergies to various trees and grasses there. A common sign of allergies in her feline patients is 'overdoing their grooming,' said Woodard, who's on the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association's board of directors. 'Cats shouldn't be pulling their hair out when they groom. So if you start seeing bald patches on your cat, even though the skin underneath it looks normal, that could be a sign of allergies.' Even food allergies, often to chicken, beef, lamb or other protein sources, frequently show up on the skin, although pets can have vomiting or diarrhea, too. Rarely, pets can develop life-threatening anaphylactic reactions, perhaps after being stung by an insect. But most allergies are simply miserable for the animals. 'It breaks my heart because it gets to a point that not only do I have socks on poor Mr. Friedman — which is humiliating for him — he sometimes gets so bad he has to wear the cone of shame,' Gail Friedman said. 'And that's not fair because he can't move around right, he can't sleep right. It's terrible.' How can you help your pet? The first step is to get a diagnosis from the vet. This could involve allergy testing, or in the case of food allergies, an 'elimination diet,' which involves feeding limited ingredients the pet hasn't previously eaten. If the allergy culprit is environmental, there are medications like anti-inflammatory drugs and newer oral and injectable medications for dogs to block chemical signals associated with itchiness. Food allergies may be treated with special diets such as 'hydrolyzed' food, in which proteins are chemically broken down into tiny pieces. All this can get expensive. Friedman estimates she's spent about US$10,000 on testing, medication and care for Mr. Friedman and another allergic dog. But vets say there are also ways to help pets at home by cleaning their bedding frequently, wiping their fur with a wet washcloth and giving them baths. Outdoors, 'they're almost acting like little Swiffers, getting allergens on their skin, and it goes through their skin and actually becomes a problem,' Schick said. 'We say bathe your dog, at a minimum, once a week if they're allergic.' After she's tried nearly everything, Friedman's dogs are still vexed by allergies. But they're doing better. 'I'm going to keep experimenting until we find what stops it completely,' she said. 'All you can do is try.' The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Laura Ungar, The Associated Press
The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Dogs and cats can also suffer from allergies, but there are ways to help our furry friends
About five years ago, Gail Friedman noticed her Parson Russell Terrier was constantly licking his paws and seemed super uncomfortable. 'The poor dog. I would put baby socks on his feet so that he wouldn't lick them or bite at them,' said Friedman, of Oak Brook, Illinois. 'I was constantly changing the socks, washing his feet a lot. Nothing worked.' It turned out her canine companion, Mr. Friedman, had allergies. It's a common and tricky problem in pets — caused by various things such as pollen, dust, mold, chemicals and food — but veterinarians say there are several ways to ease their suffering. What sorts of allergies do dogs and cats get? Allergies happen when the immune system overreacts to a foreign substance. Cats and dogs react to many of the same things people do, as well as pests like fleas. There are no definitive recent statistics on how many pets have allergies, but research suggests the problem is growing. 'I probably see allergic dogs and cats every single day, probably multiple times a day,' said Dr. Karen Woodard, medical director at Thrive Pet Healthcare-Elmhurst in Illinois. About 90% of allergic pets react to environmental triggers, Woodard said, and the rest have food allergies only. Dog breeds that are especially vulnerable include various types of terriers, boxers and bulldogs; in cats, it's Persians, Siamese and Himalayans. Pets can even be allergic to other animals — cats to dogs, dogs to cats and either to another species. 'It's possible for them to be allergic to us, just like we are to them,' said Thrive's Dr. Anthea Elliott Schick of Scottsdale, Arizona, immediate past president of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology. How can you tell if your pet has allergies? Allergic cats and dogs aren't as likely as humans to sneeze and cough. More often, they scratch and lick themselves, shake their heads and develop ear infections. Woodard said her Yorkie mix, Teddy, had the classic signs — scratching around his shoulders and getting rashes and ear infections starting as a six-month-old puppy. She lived in the South at the time, and he tested positive for allergies to various trees and grasses there. A common sign of allergies in her feline patients is 'overdoing their grooming,' said Woodard, who's on the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association's board of directors. 'Cats shouldn't be pulling their hair out when they groom. So if you start seeing bald patches on your cat, even though the skin underneath it looks normal, that could be a sign of allergies.' Even food allergies, often to chicken, beef, lamb or other protein sources, frequently show up on the skin, although pets can have vomiting or diarrhea, too. Rarely, pets can develop life-threatening anaphylactic reactions, perhaps after being stung by an insect. But most allergies are simply miserable for the animals. 'It breaks my heart because it gets to a point that not only do I have socks on poor Mr. Friedman — which is humiliating for him — he sometimes gets so bad he has to wear the cone of shame,' Gail Friedman said. 'And that's not fair because he can't move around right, he can't sleep right. It's terrible.' How can you help your pet? The first step is to get a diagnosis from the vet. This could involve allergy testing, or in the case of food allergies, an 'elimination diet,' which involves feeding limited ingredients the pet hasn't previously eaten. If the allergy culprit is environmental, there are medications like anti-inflammatory drugs and newer oral and injectable medications for dogs to block chemical signals associated with itchiness. Food allergies may be treated with special diets such as 'hydrolyzed' food, in which proteins are chemically broken down into tiny pieces. All this can get expensive. Friedman estimates she's spent about $10,000 on testing, medication and care for Mr. Friedman and another allergic dog. But vets say there are also ways to help pets at home by cleaning their bedding frequently, wiping their fur with a wet washcloth and giving them baths. Outdoors, 'they're almost acting like little Swiffers, getting allergens on their skin, and it goes through their skin and actually becomes a problem,' Schick said. 'We say bathe your dog, at a minimum, once a week if they're allergic.' After she's tried nearly everything, Friedman's dogs are still vexed by allergies. But they're doing better. 'I'm going to keep experimenting until we find what stops it completely,' she said. 'All you can do is try.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
Dogs and cats can also suffer from allergies, but there are ways to help our furry friends
About five years ago, Gail Friedman noticed her Parson Russell Terrier was constantly licking his paws and seemed super uncomfortable. 'The poor dog. I would put baby socks on his feet so that he wouldn't lick them or bite at them,' said Friedman, of Oak Brook, Illinois. 'I was constantly changing the socks, washing his feet a lot. Nothing worked.' It turned out her canine companion, Mr. Friedman, had allergies. It's a common and tricky problem in pets — caused by various things such as pollen, dust, mold, chemicals and food — but veterinarians say there are several ways to ease their suffering. What sorts of allergies do dogs and cats get? Allergies happen when the immune system overreacts to a foreign substance. Cats and dogs react to many of the same things people do, as well as pests like fleas. There are no definitive recent statistics on how many pets have allergies, but research suggests the problem is growing. 'I probably see allergic dogs and cats every single day, probably multiple times a day,' said Dr. Karen Woodard, medical director at Thrive Pet Healthcare-Elmhurst in Illinois. About 90% of allergic pets react to environmental triggers, Woodard said, and the rest have food allergies only. Dog breeds that are especially vulnerable include various types of terriers, boxers and bulldogs; in cats, it's Persians, Siamese and Himalayans. Pets can even be allergic to other animals — cats to dogs, dogs to cats and either to another species. 'It's possible for them to be allergic to us, just like we are to them,' said Thrive's Dr. Anthea Elliott Schick of Scottsdale, Arizona, immediate past president of the American College of Veterinary Dermatology. How can you tell if your pet has allergies? Allergic cats and dogs aren't as likely as humans to sneeze and cough. More often, they scratch and lick themselves, shake their heads and develop ear infections. Woodard said her Yorkie mix, Teddy, had the classic signs — scratching around his shoulders and getting rashes and ear infections starting as a six-month-old puppy. She lived in the South at the time, and he tested positive for allergies to various trees and grasses there. A common sign of allergies in her feline patients is 'overdoing their grooming,' said Woodard, who's on the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association's board of directors. 'Cats shouldn't be pulling their hair out when they groom. So if you start seeing bald patches on your cat, even though the skin underneath it looks normal, that could be a sign of allergies.' Even food allergies, often to chicken, beef, lamb or other protein sources, frequently show up on the skin, although pets can have vomiting or diarrhea, too. Rarely, pets can develop life-threatening anaphylactic reactions, perhaps after being stung by an insect. But most allergies are simply miserable for the animals. 'It breaks my heart because it gets to a point that not only do I have socks on poor Mr. Friedman — which is humiliating for him — he sometimes gets so bad he has to wear the cone of shame,' Gail Friedman said. 'And that's not fair because he can't move around right, he can't sleep right. It's terrible.' How can you help your pet? The first step is to get a diagnosis from the vet. This could involve allergy testing, or in the case of food allergies, an 'elimination diet,' which involves feeding limited ingredients the pet hasn't previously eaten. If the allergy culprit is environmental, there are medications like anti-inflammatory drugs and newer oral and injectable medications for dogs to block chemical signals associated with itchiness. Food allergies may be treated with special diets such as 'hydrolyzed' food, in which proteins are chemically broken down into tiny pieces. All this can get expensive. Friedman estimates she's spent about $10,000 on testing, medication and care for Mr. Friedman and another allergic dog. But vets say there are also ways to help pets at home by cleaning their bedding frequently, wiping their fur with a wet washcloth and giving them baths. Outdoors, 'they're almost acting like little Swiffers, getting allergens on their skin, and it goes through their skin and actually becomes a problem,' Schick said. 'We say bathe your dog, at a minimum, once a week if they're allergic.' After she's tried nearly everything, Friedman's dogs are still vexed by allergies. But they're doing better. 'I'm going to keep experimenting until we find what stops it completely,' she said. 'All you can do is try.' ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Dr Chris Brown warns dog owners to NEVER play fetch with tennis balls
Australian vet Dr Chris Brown has issued a grave warning to dog owners about playing fetch with tennis balls. The Bondi Vet revealed things he would never do as a pet owner - including a popular game thousands of Aussies play with their dogs. Appearing on Sunrise, hosts Natalie Barr and Matt Shirvington asked the animal expert why he's against letting dogs chase tennis balls, as this seemingly innocuous park activity can come with long-term health risks. 'This is a big one so a lot of dogs are absolutely ball obsessed, ball is life... they'd chase a ball but that puts a lot of stress on their joints,' Brown explained. 'You'll see border collies down in the park just chasing ball after ball. They generally get early onset arthritis in the hips and in their knees from the forces on their joints.' It wasn't the only concern the Channel Seven TV host had about dogs playing with tennis balls. Interestingly, the vet explained that the materials and construction of tennis balls are not designed with a dog's mouth in mind. 'The fur on a tennis ball is highly abrasive because it needs to withstand hard courts when you're playing tennis,' Brown said. As a result, the vet noted that dogs who constantly chew on tennis balls are prone to tooth erosion. 'Ball obsessed dogs often have worn down teeth,' he said, adding that this can become a problematic health issue for dogs as they get older. Elsewhere in the interview, Brown explained why pet owners should never feed their dogs more than once a day. 'This is an interesting one,' the vet said. 'Similar to human intermittent fasting, there's genuine research around the fact that if you feed your dog once a day, they will live longer and have a lower risk of cognitive decline-like doggy dementia - compared to feeding them two to three times a day. 'So (feeding once a day) helps to regulate their blood flow, sugar, insulin release and actually means their brain stays younger for longer.' Surprisingly, many pet owners agreed with the vet's advice to avoid using tennis balls when playing with dogs. 'Completely agree with the ball thing as someone who worked in the dog industry,' one said. 'My adult dogs are fed once a day in the afternoon. Always have. And agree with the tennis ball... been there, done that,' another shared. 'The ball theory is true' 'The ball theory is true - my dog just recovered from ball injury and now back to square one with new injury,' one revealed. While another was stunned be the advice, saying: 'Can't believe a border collie can't chase a ball as it effects its joints. These dogs run for miles zipping in and out of sheep - surely a thrown ball can't do more damage?' When one person questioned why ball chasing games would be an issue for herding dogs - which are built for long stretches of running - another person helpfully pointed out that the two activities are quite different. 'The sudden jolting stop to get the ball can tear their ligaments', they responded. '[When they are] herding sheep they are not doing sudden jolting stops close to the ground.' Brown's segment also called out cat owners for a common habit. The TV vet recommended that a cat should never be left alone for extended periods of time - and certainly no longer than 24 hours. 'All the research is now showing that cats actually experience a level of cortisol increase when we leave the house or leave them alone,' he explained, adding that this can result in them experiencing 'more separation anxiety than dogs do'. The revelation stunned Barr, who said she'd always had the impression that cats seemed unfussed about whether people were around or not. 'It's probably a surprise for a lot of people,' Brown agreed. 'A lot of people think that cats are very independent and sometimes a bit aloof. 'They like to give the impression that they don't need you.' The vet said the tell-tale signs of a cat experiencing stress or separation anxiety included a 'sneaky' vomit, weight loss, or 'licking themselves a lot'. Brown said that all these signs pointed towards a cat who is 'actually quite stressed and experiencing extreme separation anxiety'. The animal expert concluded that '24 hours alone is the absolute limit' for a cat to be left alone. 'Don't go away for the weekend and leave them without any sort of care or attention,' he added.
