The American Veterinary Medical Association

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), established in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 76,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services. Structured to work for its members, the AVMA acts as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession.

The first meeting, in 1863 in New York. was attended by 40 delegates representing seven states.


In 1900, the American Veterinary Review changed its name to the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA); it featured contributions from noted veterinary practitioners in what was rapidly becoming a recognized medical profession. By 1913, the AVMA had grown to 1,650 members. Membership requirements were revised so that being a graduate of a three-year, accredited veterinary school became mandatory (prior to this, self-proclaimed practitioners could be members of the association).

Four women graduated from U.S. Veterinary schools in 1915 and began practicing.

The American Journal of Veterinary Research joined JAVMA in 1940 and the publication evolved to become the primary forum for veterinarians to publish basic and clinical research studies.

Today, the American Veterinary Medical Association has more than 76,000 members. These professionals use their skills to care for the health and well being of humans, animals, and the environment.

In addition to caring for the nation's more than 60 million dogs, nearly 70 million cats, 10 million birds, more than 5 million pet horses, and millions of other companion animals, veterinarians serve in medical research, prevention of bio and agro terrorism, food safety and contribute greatly to scientific breakthroughs throughout the world.




Mission Statement

Improving Animal and Human Health, Advancing the Veterinary Medical Profession

Objective

The objective of the Association is to advance the science and art of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to public health, biological science, and agriculture. The Association provides a forum for the discussion of issues of importance to the veterinary profession, and for the development of official positions. The Association is the authorized voice for the profession in presenting its views to government, academia, agriculture, pet owners, the media, and other concerned publics.
Contributions to the American Veterinary Medical Foundation (AVMF) help fund the work of the AVMA Veterinary Medical Assistance Teams and animal health research.

Where can I learn more about the work of the AVMA?

Visit the AVMA Web site, www.avma.org, to learn more about the Association.
source;avma.org

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Top 10 things dogs eat ... and shouldn't

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State, city laws collide on snake issue

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Quiz- How smart is your dog?

From Parade Magazine
To Take this Quiz directly from Parade, Click Here

The Sixth Sense
The sights, sounds and (especially) smells of the world are always changing and always of interest to a smart dog. The smartest will always be checking out the environment, but not to the point of wasting too much energy on things that don’t much matter.

1) What does your dog do in a new environment—a safe, quiet place, such as a fenced backyard she’s never been in before?
a. She shows little interest.
b. She cautiously checks out the new sights, sounds and smells.
c. She immediately starts exploring, and covers every square inch.

2) How does your dog react to a strange noise outside?
a. He ignores it completely.
b. He raises his ears, but doesn’t move.
c. He tries to locate the sound and goes to the window to take a look.

3) What does your dog do when she sees herself in the mirror?
a. Almost every time it’s "Who’s that strange dog?"
b. She won’t recognize herself at first, but then she’ll relax once she realizes it’s not a "strange dog."
c. She pays no attention to reflections after figuring out they’re not worth exploring.

4) How does your dog respond when you get out a suitcase?
a. He doesn’t care.
b. He explores the suitcase for its unique scents.
c. He shows a distinctive behavior that suggests he has made a connection between the appearance of the suitcase and something about to happen.

5) Does your dog understand what you do differently on work days and weekends, by reacting differently to your behavior?
a. Nope.
b. She seems hopeful that I’ll take her with me even if I’m in work clothes.
c. When I’m leaving for work, she always knows she’s staying home.
Self Awareness
While some reactions are automatic in pets as well as people—if you’re frightened by something, for example, your body will react before your brain kicks in—intelligent dogs understand exactly what belongs to and relates to them.

6) Does your dog know his name?
a. Only if his name is, "Are You Hungry?"
b. Yes, but he’ll also respond if you say a different word in the same tone and inflection as you would say his name.
c. Yes. He not only knows his name, but he also knows and responds to all his nicknames.

7) What does your dog do when you tickle her ear?
a. She reacts reflexively; for example, by moving an unaffected body part.
b. She shakes her head.
c. She pulls away and gives you a look to show she is aware you’re tickling her and is not amused
.
8) How does your dog react when you scratch him?
a. He enjoys being scratched, any time, anywhere, but doesn’t really interact further.
b. He leans his body into your hand so you’ll scratch deeper.
c. He maneuvers his body to get you to hit a “sweet spot,” such as at the base of the tail.

9) If given the opportunity, will your dog try to get a bad smell on her?
a. No, she has little to no interest in smells.
b. Maybe if it’s really smelly, like cat poop, she’ll find it and sniff a little.
c. Yes, she’ll roll, roll, roll in it. Bad smells are good, and if she’s lucky, you won’t bathe her immediately.
10) Put a couple of dowels or similar objects on the ground and walk with your dog over them a couple of times. How does your dog react?
a. He shows no awareness of where his feet land.
b. He gradually adjusts so he doesn’t step on a dowel.
c. He never once steps on any of the dowels.

Logic Puzzles
When properly motivated, many dogs are able to adapt themselves or their environment to get something desirable, especially food. Try these tests with a hungry dog—the motivation won’t be as strong after a meal.

11) Get an empty soup can—make sure the edges are smooth, not sharp. Get a treat your dog really likes, show it to him and then put the can over it. How does your dog react?
a. She seems confused, "What happened to the treat?"
b. She sniffs around the can, and eventually bumps it to expose the treat.
c. She immediately goes to the can and gets the treat.

12) What happens if you hold your dog’s collar, throw two treats to opposite sides of the room, and then let him go?
a. He’ll get one treat and forget about the other.
b. He’ll get one, and look for the other unsuccessfully because he doesn’t remember where it landed.
c. He’ll get one, and then immediately and easily locate and scarf down the other.

13) Hold a squeaky toy behind your back without your dog realizing it. Start squeaking. How does your dog react?

14) Repeat each of the three previous tests. Does your dog improve?
a. Not a bit.
b. Quite a bit.
c. He slam-dunked the tests the first time.

15) Is your dog able to get you to do things, such as get a treat or go for a walk?
a. She never tries to push her desires on me.
b. She tries only one thing, such as barking or pawing, but gives up after a while.
c. She tries one thing and then another, until I give in to her demands.
Ability to Learn and Adapt
Some breeds, such as herding dogs, were developed to work closely with humans. These breeds may be more “tuned in” than those developed to work independently. (Mixes, of course, share any combination of characteristics from their parents.) Still, there are signs in any dog when he’s really using the gray matter.

16) How does your dog respond when the clocks are adjusted in the fall?
a. He hounds you for weeks about why his dinner is always late.
b. He learns within a few days that dinner time is now one hour later.
c. He successfully trains you to give him dinner an hour earlier, so that becomes the new meal time.

17) How many words has your dog attached some meaning to? (This doesn't just mean she'll sit when asked, but also knowing that "walk" means something good and "bath" means something not-so-good.)
a. Less than five.
b. More than a dozen.
c. More than two dozen.

18) Does your dog understand the same word in different contexts; for example, does he understand that "down" means both "lay down" and "get off the couch" depending on what he’s doing and where he is when you say it?
a. He barely understands words in any context.
b. He knows only one behavior with each word.
c. He understands words in context, and behaves differently depending on the context.

19) Try to teach your dog to shake hands by touching the back of his front leg, using what motivates your dog most (her favorite treat, toy or lots of praise).
a. She doesn’t realize she must do something to be rewarded.
b. She catches on relatively soon.
c. She learns the trick quickly, and offers variations on it in hopes of more rewards.

20) Does your dog know his toys by name?
a. No, every toy is the same to him.
b. Yes, and he looks at the right ones when they are mentioned.
c. Yes, and he retrieves the right ones when they are mentioned.Bonus points: Give your dog a point for every trick he has taught you; for example, to throw the ball to make him stop pestering you, or give him treats while you’re on the phone so he won’t bark.

Results:

Less than 40 points: Better good-looking than smart, some say, and we’re certainly hoping your dog doesn’t take up too much space on the bed. Don’t let him off the leash, because he might forget who you are and leave the park with someone else.

40 to 80 points: Pretty darn bright, and if you work on trick-training and other mind-expanding games your dog will likely be even tuned in and fun to have as a companion.

Above 80 points: Canine-stein! You think you’re in charge? We have news for you: Your dog is running the show. Good thing he likes you.

source;parade.com

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Feline Leukemia Virus Versus Feline Respiratory Disease

Feline Leukemia Virus

Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) is a usually fatal disease affecting the cat's immune system. This virus increases susceptibility to other disease in addition to causing leukemia. Signs of feline leukemia virus include weight loss, recurring or chronic illness, lethargy, fever, diarrhea, unusual breathing patterns, and a yellow color around the mouth and the whites of the eyes. A blood test is necessary to prove that the feline leukemia virus is present.

Until recently, there was no vaccine available to fight this usually fatal disease. A newly developed inactivated virus vaccine can protect cats.

Feline Respiratory Disease

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Feline Calicivirus, and Feline Pneumonitis are diseases of the respiratory tract of cats. Infected animals are highly contagious to other cats and may show either acute or chronic respiratory signs.

Your cat is seriously threatened by three highly contagious respiratory diseases. These diseases are easily transmitted from cat to cat through direct contact, through the air by sneezing or coughing, or by contact with you if you've been close to infected cats. A cat with a respiratory disease appears to have a serious cold with fever, loss of appetite, depression, and pneumonia. It may even die. The best protection is vaccination. For your cat's sake, ask your veterinarian about a vaccination program.

Source; The American Veterinarian Medical Association

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Cat in a suitcase

A woman in Florida went on vacation and came back only to find that her cat and her suitcase were missing.

The relationship between the tow is an odd one. Apparently, the cat climbed into the suitcase and went with her. Unfortunately, when she hit her destination, somebody else accidentally picked up her suitcase and took it home. When they opened it up they got a surprise.


"I went to unpack and saw some of the clothes and saw it wasn't my suitcase," the cat finder said. "I was going to close it, and a kitten jumped out and ran under the bed. I screamed like a little girl."

The cat got into the suitcase undetected, been put through an X-ray machine, loaded onto an airplane, thrown onto a baggage claim conveyor belt and picked up by a stranger.

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In Brooklyn, a Psychic for the Famous, or Rather, for Their Pets

The New York Times reported the following;

In Brooklyn, a Psychic for the Famous, or Rather, for Their Pets

Christine Agro’s career as a pet psychic to the stars started, as so many auspicious events do, with a particularly open chakra. The chakra in question did not belong to her, but to a young woman who happened to pop into one of Ms. Agro’s yoga classes in upstate New York five years ago, and thanked her at the end of class for freeing up that center of spiritual energy.

When Ms. Agro moved to New York to join a boyfriend in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, a few weeks later, she had barely unloaded her Jeep when she noticed a familiar face coming down the street: It was that same yoga student, who, it turned out, worked most of the time as a dog walker for the famed fashion photographer Bruce Weber.

Some New Yorkers would call it a coincidence; others would call it standard-issue happenstance for Cobble Hill, where yoga instructors and photographers’ assistants probably cross paths 14 times daily. Because Ms. Agro is also a trained clairvoyant natural healer — and yes, that’s what she puts down as her profession on her son’s preschool applications — she calls it kismet.

Before moving to New York City, Ms. Agro had just started, at her clients’ requests, doing readings for their most mysterious loved ones, their pets. Upon arriving, she started focusing specifically on that niche for Mr. Weber, working regularly with him and his wife to help them understand their passel of dogs.

“Animals don’t really have the ability to tell their people what’s going on,” said Ms. Agro, a young-looking 42 (which she attributes to diligent managing of her energy, just as others attribute that good fortune to smart managing of their diets). “This is a way for them to have someone advocate for them.”

Part medium, part mediator, she began doing readings that gave voice to the needs of the Weber family’s dogs. Kindly don’t throw us in the car without telling us where we’re going, an irritated golden retriever named Palomino requested through Ms. Agro. Skye is such a big baby, vented a pup named True about a rival.

Ms. Agro doesn’t need to see the pets to talk to them, just a land line — she communes with the pets while simultaneously relaying the conversation to their owners by phone. She reasoned with the Weber family’s dogs as she might her own 3-year-old son, explaining the basics of compromise, occasionally using her training, she says, to remove some negative energy along the way.

“She does see everything,” said Nan Bush, Mr. Weber’s wife, who works with Ms. Agro weekly, and relied heavily on her when two beloved dogs were dying. “I’ve recommended her to so many friends.”

There are famous people, and then there are people famous to famous people and almost no one else. They are the specialized service providers unknown to the masses, but beatified by the bold-faced names who trade the coveted cellphone numbers among themselves. Into that category (of snowboarding instructors and antique repairers) has Ms. Agro softly landed.

The Weber family introduced Ms. Agro to Grace Coddington, the fashion icon and creative director at Vogue, who referred her to Buffy Birrittella, an executive vice president at Ralph Lauren; both cat lovers are now regular clients. Ingrid Sischy, the editor in chief of Interview, Joan Allen, the actress, and Julian Schnabel, the director and artist — they all got results after seeking Ms. Agro’s help to divine the whereabouts of missing pets. Although she sees the occasional civil engineer or journalist, overall her clientele skews toward the glamorous.

Some might theorize that Ms. Agro’s fashion-heavy followers represent a world already devoted to the power of the convincing fantasy (often a pricey one — in this case, $100 per half hour).

Others might wonder if Ms. Agro simply brings her outer-ether clients the compassion and common sense of a smart Brooklyn mom who shops mostly at Old Navy. And then there are those who would follow her instructions for their Samoyeds or Bengal cats all but off a bridge, either because they were true believers in a gift, or true believers in her impeccable In Style credentials.

Recently, says Ms. Agro, some of her clients have started asking if she’d consider working on behalf of those other creatures who can’t articulate their needs: babies and toddlers. Ms. Agro is now working on developing that business, under the name the Psychic Mom. Since the only caretakers more obsessive than New York pet owners are New York parents, it seems likely that Psychic Mom will find some eager clients. Marketers would call it an untapped niche, but if her business explodes, Ms. Agro would probably just call it kismet.

Source; the New York Times
E-mail: susan.dominus@nytimes.com

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Dog Lovers at Sundance

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Be aware when your pet is missing

Be wary of anyone who calls to tell you they have found your pet and will meet you at a public location to give you your pet and collect the reward you have offered. When you get there, they may tell you your pet is in their car and will go get him for you as soon as you pay the reward. Once given the reward money the person will disappear.

Also look out for the person who calls and says they have your dog and will return him to you if you will pay a reward. This person doesn’t have your dog either and is just trying to talk you out of your money.,

Another scam to be aware of is the “long distance trucker” who calls to say he found your lost dog on his way out of town and to save your pet from injury, he picked up your dog and took him in his truck to New Mexico or Arizona (or some other state a long way away). The trucker will offer to ship your dog home if you will just forward him the money needed to fly your dog back home. The scam artist never had your pet and will just keep your money.

The best thing to consider doing is to microchip your pet.

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Lost Pet Scams

Tips when advertising a lost pet:

1. Never put your pet’s name in the ad – that will give an unscrupulous person control over your pet. It’s also a recommended that you not put your pet’s name on his or her ID tag for the same reason.
2. Put only a partial description of your pet in the ad, so you can have callers describe your pet to you over the phone. A scam artist will not be able to describe your pet to you.
3. For your safety, don’t put your home address in the ad. Just list your street or the vicinity in which your pet was lost.

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