Dog owners warned over killer worm

 Dog owners warned over killer worm

Animal experts are warning dog owners to learn how to spot the tell-tale signs of a killer parasite which is spreading at an "alarming rate" around the UK.  

Lungworm, a potentially fatal infection for dogs, has become increasingly diagnosed by vets, the Be Lungworm Aware campaign has warned.

A spokesman said 37 per cent of vets in the UK have diagnosed at least one case of the parasite in 2010 compared to only 16 per cent in 2008.
Vet Luke Gamble said: "Once a problem seen only in isolated areas, lungworm is spreading at an alarming rate in the UK.
"While dog owners are becoming more aware of lungworm, there is still a real lack of understanding as to the warning signs associated with the condition and how to prevent or treat it."
Dogs become infected with lungworm after eating common garden slugs and snails carrying the larvae. A spokesman for the campaign said an infected dog may have breathing difficulties, be lethargic and cough. Other signs include weight loss, fits, reduced appetite, vomiting, diarrhoea, weakness, paralysis and persistent bleeding from minor cuts.
Sarah Wright, editor of Your Dog magazine, said: "While lungworm poses a real risk to all dogs, it can be easily treated if caught early enough and with new advances in veterinary medicine, even prevented.
"With the increasing number of reported incidents, it is more important than ever before that owners are aware of the signs to look out for."

 Source : Yahoo

Rijja

For the past 2 days, I wake up & I’m scared that I would see Rijja dead. Rijja has been dehydrated, thanks to this damn heat. And she has developed a swelling in her intestine. Although we have been giving her ORS every hour for the past 2 days, I haven’t seen any improvement.

Rijja has never been closed to me. She only comes to me when she’s not feeling well. She’s friends only with cats of her own age & she goes out of the way to care for her brother Tasha & her pals. I often say that Rijja takes care of Tasha just like Zara takes care of me.

Last year a family wanted to give away Persian kittens to reliable families & our name was recommended to them by the vet. That’s how I met Rijja & Tasha.

I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Whenever I pray for my cat, he/she dies for sure. Naturally it leaves me with no option. Today I’m just telling myself that Rijja is also God’s baby & He’s going to take care of her.

I always wanted to name my daughter Rijja & when I saw Rijja for the 1st time, I decided this is the right time. And I think I must shut up now.

Animal abuse

Yesterday we went to the clinic for our cat’s surgery. We saw this poor cat in the cage & she has been deserted by her owner. This cat has fits every now & then; she is in a pretty bad shape. It won’t be incorrect to say that: she looks something like a cat. Her eyes only show pain & she’s extremely thin. She has lost a lot of hair. According to the vet, her condition won’t improve & sooner or later, she ought to be put down. The vet has not yet euthanized the cat, cause she’s eating on her own now, which she wasn’t when she was left at the clinic for good.

Many a time, people get attracted by cute kittens & puppies, & keep them for a while. Since there is no sense of responsibility, these pets are being abandoned later on. Cats & dogs are being killed on the road every day. It doesn’t seem to prick anybody’s conscience. And if you talk about it, you’re mad.

Anyway, it reminds me of another terrible story of a Persian cat & her breed conscious owners. Both these guys adopted her so that they can sell her kittens. She used to have kids almost every 5 months. They did earn a lot while she could produce. A time came when she started staying ill most of the time. The cat was also having problems in her delivery. During her last pregnancy, the vet forewarned these guys that it is serious & they should think about aborting the kids or the cat might die. Obviously they didn’t show any interest whatsoever. She had a surgery & all her kittens were dead. The vet asked the guys if he should remove the uterus, which was deteriorated beyond repair, as it might kill the cat in the long run & now she cannot have babies. The guys said that it would be no use to remove the uterus as the cat is useless for them, cause she can’t produce babies anymore. After 2 days, the cat died.

I think it’s a gruesome case of abuse, beyond any reasonable doubt. Although she was a pet, but she was being used like anything. Or should I say she was some sort of business? As long as these guys could earn the profit, everything was fine. Isn’t it strange you are earning & yet you don’t care for the life that’s providing the money?

Those who care about animals would care about them no matter what. And those who abuse animals & take them for granted won’t change either. Anyhow, the act of hurting animals speaks volumes about the ugly nature of humans.

Minnie

Minnie is one of our cats & she has been diagnosed with tumor & tomorrow she’s going to have her surgery. It kind of scares the shit out of us. Basically Minne, Princey, Mickey & Fluffy were all born on 24th July’98. A week before their birth, our kitten Chotu was being ran down by our own chauffeur…it was 17th July’ 98. Naturally when these 4 were born, they were more like gifts from the Lord.

Unfortunately, Fluffy died when she was just 7 months old. She got infected by virus & she couldn’t make it. At that time, we were also learning about cats. I was more attached to Princey. Anyone who ever saw him used to fall for him. He had that kind of face & personality. Minnie is my sister’s cat & Mickey is my mom’s baby.

Well Zara & Minnie have a very strong bond. She’s going to turn 11 this year. So far is Mickey is concerned, he has a lot of attitude problem, but he is all love. 2 years ago, Princey died due to urethra blockage; we did whatever we could, but he didn’t survive. That was the worst blow of my life. I have never loved anyone like that. Moreover, Mickey couldn’t take his death & he plunged into depression for 1 & a half year. Mickey is doing fine now, but it took one hell of a long time to get over his brother’s death. The vet told us that cats are so very sensitive…that many a time, they die after the death of their loved ones.

And now we have Minnie who has got tumor. The vet is confident about the surgery & I just hope everything goes okay. In fact, we have changed the vet, cause the first one was not that confident & we were scared as we lost Princey & even another cat Tokyo 2 months ago as his surgery also didn’t go well.

This time we just can’t afford to lose another baby. Although writing this wouldn’t help in any way. We all have been worried about her for quite some time. The thing that would give us contentment would be her life. The surgery is risky though. But we don’t have any other alternative. If she doesn’t go through this surgery, after a couple of months, we have to ask the vet to euthanize her. That is also not a good option. I just hope everything works out this time.

Nadira Rahman