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News you need to know to keep your dog healthy

By Eric Forrest on September 15, 2013

Recently, two big stories have developed that concern dogs and their owners around the country. Don’t fret too much, however. The health concerns are being squashed (hopefully) and the odds of your dog being affected are slim- we at PetsInOmaha feel compelled to spread the word so your pups stay healthy and happy. The two health-concerning news stories are from the northeast and from Ohio, so most of us can take a sigh of relief.

First, a popular brand of dog treats, Kritter’s Kitchen Kreations Chicken Jerky Treats, has been recalled and pulled from the shelves of pet stores. Kritter’s Kitchen Kreations, LLC decided to pull their jerky treats after more than 20 people who purchased the product had been infected by Salmonella. Yikes. If you happen to have any of these treats at home for your animals, make sure to dispose of them promptly. The good news for folks in Omaha- these were only sold in the northeast, so unless you’ve ordered some in or picked some up during your travels, you probably haven’t had access to them. If there ever are any massive or local recalls on food, treats, litter, or any other sort of pet-related product, you can be sure PetsInOmaha will let you know about them.

Secondly, and this is another story that has affected a specific region of the U.S., an Ohio kennel has been verified as the place where numerous dogs became infected with the very dangerous circovirus. You may have heard about an “outbreak” of the virus and worried for your dogs, especially if they frequent day cares or kennels, but this article assures us that the worry shouldn’t be too great at this moment in time. Dogs were experiencing symptoms of bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and general tiredness, and after one dog died, the thought of a contagious virus that could potentially affect the entire dog population made some worry. Samples from the kennel were sent to a laboratory in California for further investigation, so we’re confident the proper measures have been taken. Again, this was a specifically local event hundreds of miles away, but what is startling is the idea that if it could happen “there,” it could happen “here.” If your dog is experiencing any symptoms like these (as if we need to tell loving dog owners), make sure to utilize your local veterinarian. Also, sometimes social media and some news organizations can hear a story like this and make it out to sound like the end of the world. A bit of this happened related to this case, according to the aforementioned article, causing a stir that was probably unnecessary. Always do your homework and ask your vet anything you are concerned about.

These rare but scary instances of illness, disease, and contamination of our dogs’ food and population make our antennas go up, but we’re not too worried about these specific ones. Again, if anything happens closer to home, count on us to make you aware of what to do and how to keep your animals healthy.

Photo credit: thedogwalkersandiego.wordpress.com

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