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SPCA Penang Yours in Animal Welfare since 1948

What is Canine Parvo?

Canine parvovirus (CPV) infection is a relatively new disease that appeared in 1978. Because of the severity of the disease and its rapid spread through the canine population, CPV has aroused a great deal of public interest. The virus that causes it is very similar to feline distemper, and the two diseases are almost identical. Therefore, it has been speculated that the canine virus is a mutation of the feline virus. However, that has never been proven.

How does a dog become infected with parvovirus?

The causative agent of CPV disease, as the name infers, is a virus. The main source of the virus is the feces of infected dogs. The stool of an infected dog can have a high concentration of viral particles. Susceptible animals become infected by ingesting the virus. Subsequently, the virus is carried to the intestine where it invades the intestinal wall and causes inflammation.

Unlike most other viruses, CPV is stable in the environment and is resistant to the effects of heat, detergents, and alcohol. CPV has been recovered from dog feces even after three months at room temperature. Due to its stability, the virus is easily transmitted via the hair or feet of infected dogs, contaminated shoes, clothes, and other objects. Direct contact between dogs is not required to spread the virus. Dogs that become infected with the virus and show clinical signs will usually become ill within 7-10 days of the initial infection.

How does this disease affect the dog?

The clinical manifestations of CPV disease are somewhat variable, but generally take the form of severe vomiting and diarrhea. The diarrhea may or may not contain blood. Additionally, affected dogs often exhibit a lack of appetite, depression, and fever. It is important to note that many dogs may not show every clinical sign, but vomiting and diarrhea are the most common signs; vomiting usually begins first. Parvo may affect dogs of all ages, but is most common in dogs less than one year of age. Young puppies less than five months of age are often the most severely affected and the most difficult to treat.

How is it diagnosed?

The clinical signs of CPV infection can mimic other diseases causing vomiting and diarrhea; consequently, the diagnosis of CPV is often a challenge for the veterinarian. The positive confirmation of CPV infection requires the demonstration of the virus in the stool or the detection of anti-CPV antibodies in the blood serum. Occasionally, a dog will have parvovirus but test negative for virus in the stool. Fortunately, this is not a common occurrence. A tentative diagnosis is often based on the presence of a reduced white blood cell count (leukopenia). If further confirmation is needed, stool or blood can be submitted to a veterinary laboratory for the other tests. The absence of a leukopenia does not always mean that the dog cannot have CPV infection. Some dogs that become clinically ill may not necessarily be leukopenic.

Can it be treated successfully?

There is no treatment to kill the virus once it infects the dog. However, the virus does not directly cause death; rather, it causes loss of the lining of the intestinal tract. This results in severe dehydration, electrolyte (sodium and potassium) imbalances, and infection in the bloodstream (septicemia). When the bacteria that normally live in the intestinal tract are able to get into the blood stream, it becomes more likely that the animal will die. The first step in treatment is to correct dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. This requires the administration of intravenous fluids containing electrolytes. Antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs are given to prevent or control septicemia. Antispasmodic drugs are used to inhibit the diarrhea and vomiting that perpetuate the problems.

What is the survival rate?

Most dogs with CPV infection recover if aggressive treatment is used and if therapy is begun before severe septicemia and dehydration occur. For reasons not fully understood, some breeds, notably the Rottweiler, have a much higher fatality rate than other breeds.

Can it be prevented?

The best method of protecting your dog against CPV infection is proper vaccination. Puppies receive a parvo vaccination as part of their multiple-agent vaccine given at 8, 12, and 16 weeks of age. In some situations, veterinarians will give the vaccine at two week intervals and an additional booster at 18 to 20 weeks of age. After the initial series of vaccinations when the dog is a puppy, all dogs should be boostered at least once a year. Dogs in high exposure situations (i.e., kennels, dog shows, field trials, etc.) may be better protected with a booster every six months. Pregnant bitches should be boostered within two weeks of whelping in order to transfer protective antibodies to the puppies. The final decision about a proper vaccination schedule should be made by your veterinarian.

www.animalclinic.com

 

 The 10^th of June 2005 will forever live on in my memory. On that eventful day at about 10 in the morning I lost a very dear, loyal, fun loving and most trustworthy friend. Her name was TREX. She was “Eurasian” like me and was just only thirteen years old. She had beautiful longish curly locks of black with stands of white. And oh, what a cute face. I said some prayers for her privately and put her to rest.

TREX was a super being. A cross between a Pomeranian and a Spitz, she was very apt at stalking and catching birds and rats or mice after which she would secret away her prey. She did not feed on these but just burried them in the ground. Gifted with a relatively high degree of intelligence she knew just what to do and how to react to get what she wanted. Most of all she was a real and actual member of the family. So naturally, I missed her deeply when she left.

Since I can remember we always had pets at home since little. There were dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds and even an iguana once. This of course understandably was far too much for my mum and we had to settle for the conventional doggie or the pussy cat which was always my younger sister’s favourites. She still has three at present. This family tradition lives on in my children.

After a month of being depressed and missing my old friend TREX my youngest son John offered a solution through much persuasion and coaxing. Finally, I relented. So off we went to the “orphanage” in Georgetown, Penang.

As we walked through the “dormitories” several times, our eyes caught attention of two “young ladies”. They seemed extremely shy and would not come out to greet us no matter how much we tried. They kept to themselves, remained totally quiet and huddled in the corners. Perhaps they were frightened and not used to strangers. Curious, we requested a closer look.

When given the opportunity to leave their “rooms” these two sisters who were born on the same day on 10 January 2005, suddenly came alive. They zoomed about the place happily enjoying each others company and playing with their numerous toys. That was when we made the decision to add two more members to our family – YOGI and NAMEE.

Just as we were sorting out matters and about to leave, another cute “baby” was romping about and just plain showing off. Her antics and well orchestrated showmanship paid off. FIFI, then just about 3 months old was a natural. We then headed back home with YOGI, NAMEE and FIFI bunched up in the car together with the five of us.

Our daily lives today is never dull and without event. All the “girls” have a home now. They greet every member of the family heartily when we descend the staircase in the mornings and sprint around the house freely. The postmen, the garbage collectors and the Rukun Tetangga patrolmen too are their good friends perhaps because they are often “escorted” by a gutsy and hardworking Spitz. Even the neighbour’s cats are tolerated to a degree though FIFI reigns supreme in this matter jealously guarding against territorial encroachments. Like all “children” they are learning about life and getting to know the house rules.

As I write this, my three “girls” lazily sit by watching. They have all grown in the five months since they came home. YOGI is strong and can scale a full fence climbing, NAMEE remains the gentle “lady” that she is and FIFI… the scamp, always up to something new and exciting. It is now time for their milk and for me to go to bed.

Our three “girls” are very much a part of our lives now and we would not have it any other way. One could never imagine that a single visit to the “dormitories” at the SPCA in Penang would enrich our lives so.

 

SCAREDY DOG! The Four Causes of Fearful Personalities in Dogs Source: “Help for your Shy Dog” by Deborah Wood

PHYSICAL INFIRMITY

Physical pain can make a dog act frightened or shy. For example, a dog who can’t see well may become a biter out of fear, since she can’t see an approaching person’s hand until the hand is right in her face. A dog with back pain or hip dysplasia also may shrink away from human contact if even a gentle touch aggravates her condition. Pain also might cause a dog to quiver, making her look as if she’s shaking nervously.

LACK OF SOCIALISATION

Your dog’s problems may have started in her childhood is she wasn’t given proper socialisation. Just as human children who aren’t given time, attention and learning opportunities often develop poor coping skills, puppies who don’t have an enriched environment can have a difficult time adjusting to new situations throughout their lives. Where do you often find poorly socialised dogs? Here are some examples:

i) Animal Shelters

The following situation is typical of a dog who ends up at the local animal shelter. A well-meaning husband and wife purchase a dog because they always admired the intelligence of the active, working breed. The man and woman both work full-time. After the puppy destroys the sofa, she’s kept confined to the windowless laundry room for 12 hours a day. Despite their best intentions, the man and woman are tired after their long, hard days of work, and they give the dog little attention and less exercise. After 18 months, the husband and wife decide that they have the only neurotic idiot ever whelped of the intelligent breed, and they take the dog to the local animal shelter. The dog is overwhelmed at the shelter because she hasn’t seen another dog since she was 8 weeks old. She shivers in fear.

An amazing number of people buy dogs with no concept of the care an attention dogs require. These people seem to think that raising a dog takes about the same amount of time as caring for a mellow cat – or perhaps a stuffed animal. Many of their pets end up in animal shelters throughout the nation.

ii) Pet Shops

Wholesale breeders breed purebred or small mixed-breed dogs for sale to pet shops. The conditions at these “puppy mills” are designed to cost the breeders as little as possible and to produce as many puppies as possible

Often, conditions are unspeakably inhumane, with filthy, overcrowded pens and undernourished dogs. Females may be bred every time they come into season, which makes fo a dangerous practice. Puppies, who aren’t socialised at all, are shipped to pet stores, where conditions are not enourmously better.

ABUSE

Humans have invented countless ways to torture innocent animals. Whether a one-time incident or abuse over the course of months or years, traumatic experiences are powerful destroyers of the human-animal bond.

It’s no wonder that an abused dog grows into a fearful, confused adult. She has no road map to know what actions will bring pain, so she crouches in a corner and tries to do nothing – or she may try to bite, figuring the best defense is a good offense.

For most of us, dog abuse is defined by the horror stories we see on the local evening news. The reality is that most abuse is more ordinary than the stories that capture the headlines. Although adults may perpetrate the most hideous crimes against dogs, children are the most frequent abusers. Children younger than about age 6 can’t entirely distinguish between a living dog and a toy. Likewise, older children can act carelessly or might not have been taught the proper way to treat a dog. In any event, small children might chase and scream at dogs, hit them with sticks, and use them as footballs. Rough-and-yumble roughhousing that might be fine for a large dog can break the bones of a small dog – and the person who abuses a dog might be an angelic-looking 10-year-old.

GENETICS

A dog’s genetic programming is a crucial determinant of her response to life’s situations. Most scientific research indicates that about half of an animal’s (or a human’s) personality is defined by her environment; the other half is determined by her genetic makeup. For instance, your fearful dog may not have experienced a bad day in her life. She may be the picture of health, live in a loving and varied environment, and have never faced a traumatic situation – yet she might still be extremely fearful. Just as some humans are born shy, some dogs are born with fearful temperaments.

A dog’s assimiliation of her experiences is largely determined by her genetic wiring. For example, four dogs that have been left alone for months in a backyard and given virtually no human attention may have four entirely different reactions when they are placed in loving homes: One may bond instantly with her new owners, apparently happy and grateful to be rescued; another may be difficult to control because she’s insatiably curious about her new surroundings; he third may become uncontrollably aggresive; and the final one may shake in fear at the change in her surroundings. The differences in these dogs’ reactions are probably genetically determined.

All species (including humans) have individuals who display shy, risk-averse behaviour. Studies indicate that about 15 to 20 percent of the population of any species of higher animals will be born prone to introversion and fear.

 

ANIMALS IN ISLAMIC HISTORY This article has been extracted from its original text.Future issues of Paw Penned Thoughts will feature articles on animal welfare from other religious perspectives

The following guidelines were part of the instructions made by Caliph Abu Bakr (ruled 632-636 CE) given to the first expedition into Syria: “Slaughter not the sheep or cows or camels except for purposes of food.

The law of war as enunciated by an Islamic jurist Imam Malik in Al-Muwatta’ forbids the slaying of the flock and the destruction of beehives. Imam Shafi`i (768-820 CE) was of the view that “animals were to be destroyed only if they would strengthen the enemy.”

`Umar ibn Al-Khattab, the second caliph, saw a person dragging a goat by its leg to slaughter it. He said to him, “Ruin overtakes thee, if thou wouldst take it to its death. Let it be in the proper manner. `Umar issued instruction to the common people to the effect that animals should not be put to hardship and given trouble and they should be treated kindly. He expressed his concern and anguish in these words: “If a camel was to stumble in Euphrates valley, I fear that God will question me about it.

`Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz (682-720 CE), renowned as “the second `Umar,” instructed the governors to stop people from whipping their horses and goading them with pricks. He “fixed the maximum weight to be loaded on camels on the banks of Nile. It was reported to him that in Egypt the transport camels were loaded with 1000 pounds. He ordered that the camels must not be loaded with more than 600 pounds load.” The most graphic description of a Muslim ruler has been given by the celebrated theologian Hasan Al-Basri in his reply to the question posed by the great `Umar ibn `Abdul `Aziz: “The just ruler, O commander of the believers, is like a herdsman, solicitous for the camels he tends, desiring the sweetest pleasures for them, driving them away from any dangerous grazing place, protecting them from beasts of prey and shielding them from harms of heat and cold.

Now let us see certain observations made on the treatment of animals in the Islamic Civilization by some of the objective historians and sociologists. Rev. R. Bosworth Smith declared that Prophet Muhammad was the real upholder of the liberation of animals, “nor does Muhammad omit to lay stress on what I venture to think is a crucial test of a moral code, and even of a religion, as is the treatment of the poor and the weak—I mean the duties we owe to what we call the lower animals. There is no religion which has taken a higher view in its authoritative documents of animal life and none wherein the precept has been so much honored by its practical observance. “Such is the value and consideration which Islam shows towards animals. It is the result of Islamic teachings that the animals have been treated with utmost kindness and love throughout the Muslim world. “An Arab cannot ill treat his horse; and Lane bears emphatic testimony to the fact that in his long residence in Egypt he never saw an ass or a dog treated with cruelty, except in those cities which were overrun by Europeans. … The sympathy of the prophet for his domestic animals is well known. There is a great variety of traditions respecting his horses, his mules, his milch and riding camels and his goats.

Rev. D. S. Margoliouth (1858–1940), formerly professor of Arabic at Oxford University, says of the Prophet’s vision of the animal world: “His humanity even extended itself to the lower creation. He forbade the employment of living birds as targets for marksmen (Musnad, 1,273) and remonstrated some of his followers had set fire to an anthill he compelled them to extinguish it (Musnad, 1,396).

N. K. Singh, Director of International Centre for Religions Studies, after an in-depth analysis of social justice and human rights in Islam, goes on to say, “The spirit of Islam guarantees the well being of workers. It guarantees the same tranquility even to animals. Imam Ahmad said that it is incumbent upon the Muhtassib to forbid persons possessing animals to use them in work which they cannot accomplish.

In her brilliant exposition of the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, an agnostic Western scholar, Karen Armstrong, calls attention to certain areas of his life that were most often overlooked. She states, “Over the centuries, in the west, we have tended to think of Muhammad as a grim figure, a cruel warrior, a callous politician. But he has a great kindness and sensibility. He loved animals, for example, if he saw a cat asleep on his cloak he would not dream of disturbing it. It has been said that one of the tests of a society is its attitude towards animals. She goes on, “During the Jahiliyah the Arabs had treated animals very cruelly. They used to cut off lumps of flesh to eat while the beast were still alive and put painful branding or organized animal fights. One tradition has him telling a story in which a man who gave water to a dog on a thirsty day was sent to Paradise and a woman who starved her cat to death was sent to hell. The preservation of these traditions shows how important the value had become in the Muslim world and how quickly the community had advanced towards a more humane and compassionate vision.

 

MERCY KILLING & “NO KILL” SHELTERS – Something for you to Ponder upon!

Some animal shelters are often found in a dilemma where the community expresses how they dislike policies when it comes to “disposing” unwanted animals. Hence, the ever-increasing number of shelters which operates under a “No-Kill” policy. In today’s world, it is not easy to have all unwanted animals (this is the result of the community’s negligence and lack of responsibility in caring for their pet animals) found homes. These are among the many reasons most “traditional” shelters choose to euthanise animals.

Attempting to adopt a “No-Kill” policy is similar to a successfull capitalist nation trying to switch to a socialist. It is simply a Utopian idea, where it’s ultimate goal is in favour of both sides – “fair and just”. But is it possible for all members of a particular community to adapt and change according to a single idea? With the existence of freedom of speech and free will, and as long as men are able to have an opinion, a globalised “No-Kill” is quite not possible. Looking at history alone, it is self-explanatory why Socialism or Communism only existed in a non-democratic nation where an oppresive ruler is required to make sure the “people live according to an ideal principle”.

For a shelter to operate as a “No-Kill”, it requires two simple (but nearly impossible for some to achieve) things. The first is to have a massive availability of land. This is to support the shelter by providing enough temporary homes for the unwanted animals. It is equally important to have availability of much funds to provide the necessities the animals may need. Allow yourself some time to ponder upon this – “Would it be cruel to have an animal which is ill (or overstayed at the shelter) put down?” Deciding on what animals to be euthanized is undoubtedly the most difficult policy decision an organisation will have to make.

“Some shelters refer to themselves as "no kill." However this does not necessarily mean that the problem of unwanted animals has been resolved in their community. Unless the "whole" community can claim that enough new good homes can be found for all the animals that are taken to shelters, "no kill" is a business choice of that particular shelter, as other shelters will likely pick up the rest of the unwanted animals in that community.” -Wikipedia

The second essential goal a “No-Kill” should strive for is to obtain the cooperation of the government or council to assist in the capturing of strays and handle the unwanted animals. Hence, the government associated bodies are required to perform the “dirty work” which the “No-Kills” would not dream of doing. Being a “No-Kill” allows a shelter to pick and choose the type of animals the shelter wants to receive. As such, many animals unsuitable for re-homing would be turned away.

Running a “No-Kill” also requires a tremendous budget. A “traditional” shelter alone operates on very high expenses. It is not wrong to operate a shelter that is not in favour of euthanasia, but to be classified as a “No-Kill” is not possible.

Shelters can only strive towards changing the mindset of the community in moulding future pet owners to be responsible towards their pets. This can only be achieved with the co-operation from all and the relevant authorities in improving the status of animal welfare.

The above article is based on our own opinion. We welcome any ideas and feedback.