Is Rabies on the increase or decrease?  The Centers for Disease control barely announced the canine rabies strain has been eliminated in the United States and then a kitten was diagnosed with rabies in Florida.  Several children and adults were either scratched, bitten, or came in contact with the saliva of the kitten.  The kitten became ill and had to be euthanized.  Rabies was not discovered until after a concerned mother discovered the kitten was ill, euthanized, but had not been tested for rabies.  The woman asked the VET for the animal’s body and brought it to be tested at her local health department.  The problem in this case was that several softball teams from different states had come in contact with the kitten without knowing it had rabies. There were 60 teams, who each had about 38 people along with the teams.  The good news is that no one contracted rabies.  Other kittens from the same litter were later tested positive for rabies.

As suburbs encroach on wild animals there is a greater risk of rabies from contact with wild animals.  Raccoons, bats, and other wild animals carry rabies.  We do not have rabies in Hawaii, but folks on the mainland who live in rural areas can be exposed to rabies.  Do not leave pet food outdoors and do not let your pets roam unsupervised.

Vaccinate your pet and be a responsible pet owner.  There is a debate on the safety of vaccinating your pet, but we will talk about that at a later time.

Blow Dry Your Dog with Cool Settings Only
When you bathe your dog, do you dry it with a human hair dryer?  Did you know that both heat settings are dangerous to your pet?  A dog’s body temperature is higher than a human’s and dogs do not sweat like humans.  Your dog can quickly overheat when you are blow drying the dog.  You cannot tell if your dog is being burned.  So stop using the heat settings to dry your pet, just use the cool setting or purchase a pet hair dryer.  The noise of the dryer is also stressful to pets whose hearing is more than 15 times more sensitive than humans.  Do not turn your dog into a HOT DOG.

Exiting the Vehicle in a Safe Manner
Some dogs dart out of the car when their owners open the door.  Dogs have run out of a vehicle and into traffic resulting in death or injury to the dog.  The safety of drivers is also at risk with a dog running in the street.  Teach your dog to wait for your command before exiting the vehicle.  Give your dog a treat and make him/her wait for your command.  Leash your pet or if you are like me, I go off leash sometimes but my mom keeps me close to her.  If we are in a busy area mom makes me exit the car calmly and on a leash.  If I push my way out of the car mom makes me settle down and then I get to exit the car.

Dogs Can Die in Your Automobile in the Heat
By now you would think everyone knows the danger of leaving your pet in a car in warm weather.  It only takes 20 minutes in a hot car to cause the dog heat stroke or death.  Heat stroke can cause brain damage and pain.  If you must leave a pet in a car, leave all the windows open at least 4 inches and park in the shade.  On a hot day…NEVER…I SAY NEVER LEAVE A PET IN A CAR.  No excuses.  If you see a pet left in a car and it is in distress, please call the police.  You can report it anonymously.  Do the right thing.  When the temperature is over 70 degrees it is not good to keep your pet in the vehicle unattended because the temperature in the car can be at least 20 degrees higher than the outside temperature.

Vacuum Your Carpet, Vacuum Your Pet
Have you ever thought about vacuuming your dog’s hair while still on the dog?  There are pet brushes that attach to your vacuum hose for vacuuming your pet.  Do it the right way, don’t improvise because injury and discomfort can occur.  Dogs with flowing hair can be pulled into the vacuum and pull the dog’s skin.  Get your dog used to the vacuum gradually.  Some dogs are terrified of the noise of the motor.  Use common sense and be kind to your pet. 

Foodbank for Pets
How about this idea?  Donate pet food to the Food bank in your local area.  Some folks who get food for themselves and their families from the Food bank also have pets.  Share some pet food with a pet in need in your area.  No pet should ever go hungry.  Buddy the Dog will be working with the local Food bank to educate the public about this need for pets. 

Buddy is back in Hawaii after traveling on the mainland with his mom.  He had to wait 120 days to return because his titer rabies blood test expired within days of his original return.   Then his rabies had to be renewed, that added 90 more days to wait to be able to re-enter the state of Hawaii. Thank God for the direct release program for pets in the State of Hawaii.  No animal should ever have to endure the quarantine confinement.  Email Buddy if you want to help support programs to help dogs and cats. 

Thanks for reading my column.  Please leave a comment and a rating.  Woof, woof, sniff, sniff.