Few pets getting swine flu

The Associated Press is reporting there are a few confirmed cases of pets infected with the H1N1 flu virus, otherwise known as swine flu.

The virus ... has been diagnosed in only a few cats and ferrets since it emerged in April. Veterinarians say they don't know if that is because so few animals have been tested or because so few have the disease.

"I think we're probably going to be seeing more (pet) cases in the future. There is more focus on it so people are looking harder," said Dr. Kristy Pabilonia of the Colorado State University Department of Veterinary Medicine, which confirmed two new cases in cats on Friday.

The American Veterinary Medical Association, the AP reported, said while it is rare for flu viruses to jump between species, there is no evidence people can get the swine flu from pets.

Whether doctors are treating humans or pets, they give the same advice: Wash your hands, cover your mouth when you sneeze and limit contact with others if you are ill.

Symptoms in pets may include lethargy, decreased appetite, fever, runny nose and eyes, sneezing, coughing and changes in breathing patterns. Because there have been only a few cases, Pabilonia said vets have limited information about the severity of the disease in house pets.

And medical officials urge people to not share human medications with their pets. It could be as dangerous to your pet as the disease.

Pet industry recession proof?

A new report by the American Pet Product Association said that total spending on pets in 2008 topped $43 billion, an increase of 4.9 percent over 2007.

And it seems 2009 is trending that way as well.

Bob Vetere, President of APPA, wrote the article you can see here.

He said it comes as no surprise that, as pets are increasingly important in their owners' lives, what people spend on them is reflected in the health of the industry, which is the eighth largest retail segment in the U.S., ahead of toys, jewelry, candy and alcohol.

[After the first half of 2008] the economy collapsed with the woes of Wall Street. However, the resulting impact on the pet industry reveals a promising resiliency even through the toughest of times. With the final spending figures for 2008 released and early indicators for 2009 interpreted, the pet industry has fared better than most. While no industry is truly recession-proof, the pet industry seems recession-resistant. One popular newspaper referred to the industry as “the antidote to the recession.”

Greater than anticipated growth, Vetere said, was in routine veterinary services and pet-sitting and boarding, growing at 10 and 6.7 percent over 2007, respectively.

Sales of food grew 3.7 percent of 2007, while over-the-counter medications grew only 2 percent.

We love our pets, it seems. Have any of you cut back? If so, how?

Please respond to the poll on the left side of this page.

Valley of the dogs?

Anybody remember the Saturday Night Live commercial satire "Doggie Downers"? For pooches who are hyper?

As the skit unfolded, it was suggested that if one's dog was in a depression, they could be given "Puppy Uppers."

A New York Times Magazine explores the world of pet pharmaceuticals in a story you can find here.

Veterinarians and dog behaviorists discuss the causes of a growing trend toward medicating companion animals.

Research estimates at least $15 million was spent in 2005 on behavior-modification drugs in the United States. Pfizer alone has seen its share of the market increase to $1 billion since 2003, up 57 percent.

Kate had separation anxiety, something that now I could have medicated her for. We worked on it, with a trainer. It took times and there were setbacks along the way, but we did it.

She is afraid of thunderstorms and fireworks. (So am I.) But I don't want to have her spend the entire spring and summer in a Prozac trance.

Is it easy just to pop a pill rather than work on modifying a behavior? Probably.

If the dog is in imminent danger to itself or to others, including humans, then obviously a long- or even a short-term process of training isn't enough. Medication may be the only answer other than putting the animal down.

But my feeling is that all training options should be explored before you medicate for behavior. And if you are planning on getting a dog, seek out a trainer to work with you so that problems can be prevented. It's easier to teach a dog the right way to act than to correct behavior that has become ingrained.

As I said, there are times when medications are surely necessary and lifesaving, but let's not turn our pets into little over-medicated humans.