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8A Daily News – Saturday, June 16, 2012 healthPetsactivities & Dog parks require a dose of caution ATLANTA (MCT) — Last month on a sunny Sat- urday morning, Lisa Baxter and her fiance, Mike Janovic, loaded up their three dogs — a beagle, a Pomeranian and a Chi- huahua — for an outing at the Brook Run Dog Park, an off-leash dog run in Dun- woody, Ga. They were looking for- In Soffie's case, an illness probably is not to blame By Jeff Kahler, D.V.M. McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) Pets like routine. It is important to learn their routine so that when there is a change, we can recognize a pos- sible problem. Soffie. ward to letting their pets exercise and hopefully make some new four-legged friends. What they didn't anticipate was a turn of events that would lead to the injury and consequent death of their 7-year-old Chi- huahua, Chi Chi. "Two of our dogs were roaming off-leash, and Chi Chi was on a leash, as we like to keep him close because of the various sizes of dogs at this park," Baxter said. Unlike some dog parks, animals are not separated by size at Brook Run, a 4-acre sprawl where dogs can freely run and play. But like all dog parks, visitors enter at their own risk. Carolyn sees a change in her 3-year-old conure, The door to Soffie's cage is open at all times, so she can fly throughout the house. Lately, Soffie does not want to come out of her cage. She makes strange noises, paces around on the bottom of her cage and lunges at Carolyn when she approach- es. This from a bird who normally cannot wait to come to Carolyn. Plus, Soffie is barely eating. Carolyn's concern is valid, but I suspect it is not the result of disease, but rather that Soffie has reached sex- ual maturity. MCT photo Gucci, bottom, owned by park regular Laurette Carte isn't bothered by bigger dogs as he plays with a ball at the Brook Run Dog Park located at the Liane Levetan Park in Dunwoody, Ga. According to Baxter, a spaniel mix lunged at Chi Chi and viciously attacked the dog, drawing blood. The spaniel also went after the Pomeranian, but the beagle took cover. "We were truly shocked Though Chi Chi was rushed to the nearby Animal Emergency Center of Sandy Springs, efforts to save the dog were futile, and a few days later, the pup died. Similar tales are all too that the owner did nothing to help us separate the dogs," Baxter said. "And he fled the scene, never apolo- gizing, nothing." Nearby dog parks Benton Dog Park, Redding DeGarmo Dog Park, Chico common, but they don't have to be. business," said Dr. Tommy Dempsey, who treated Chi Chi. "Dog parks keep us in Laine Sweezey, presi- dent of the Brook Run Dog Park Association Inc., is currently drafting a propos- al requesting more land from the park to create a small-dog area. She said the association is also consider- ing providing a ledger so dog owners can report inci- dents and exchange person- al information when the occasion arises. ourselves and will do what- ever it takes to make sure nothing like this ever hap- pens again," said Sweezey. "But we understand that all dogs are different and you never know exactly what one might do." "We're all dog owners Meanwhile, Sweezey advised dog owners to refrain from leashing their pets at an off-leash park. "You're opening yourself up to danger," she said. "The leashed dog automati- cally feels threatened and vulnerable and sends these signals of fear to the other dogs. And that is when they can get attacked." Most dog parks have rules. The rules at Waggy World Paw Park in Alpharetta, Ga., for exam- ple, are clearly marked at the entrance, on fences and on the city's website. Heeding safety tips can protect dog owners and their pets. A dog should never be left unattended and should be current on its shots and licensing, if required. It's a bad idea to bring small children or food to a dog park, not even training treats. And if your dog is in an altercation with another pet, do the right thing and exchange information, as it could save the injured dog's life. Still, it is important to rule out any possible disease causes with a trip to the veterinarian. Physical examination sometimes can be very reveal- ing in cases of ovulation in birds, especially if there is an egg palpable in the abdomen. If that is not the case, blood analysis can show evidence of ovulation because there will be a spike in the blood calcium level, required to produce the egg's shell. ior. It can go on for quite a while — a month or so in some cases — and, of course, the result of ovulation is egg production. Soffie likely will be laying some eggs. Remember, female birds can lay eggs without a male around for fertilization. Chickens are a prime example of that. I would remove the eggs, though, as I do not want my bird to nest and treat the eggs as if they were fertile. As long as Soffie is on a complete diet and is healthy otherwise, she should go through ovulation and egg production just fine. Ovulation is seasonal, and so is the resultant behav- Jeff Kahler is a veterinarian in Modesto. Questions can be submitted to Your Pet in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto CA 95352. Animal Island: Keeping flies off pets "In our case, if we'd had the medical records of the spaniel, the infection that ultimately killed Chi Chi could've been detected from the other dog's shot records," Baxter explained. "We were saddled with thousands of dollars in vet bills. I think we at least deserve an apology." If your dog gets rough with another dog, leave the park immediately. "The other pets can be tipped off to your pet's aggression and could make your dog a mark," said Dr. Sarah Bird of the Cumber- land Animal Clinic. always thought of as sum- mertime parasites that bother pets, but there are a few others in that catego- ry, and those that really bother me are flies. It dri- ves me crazy when I see flies biting the ears of my dogs, horses and rabbits, even the featherless wat- tles of my chickens. In the past, when I used commercial sprays for these pests on my pets, the application would only work as long as it was wet. As soon as it dried, the flies came right back. So what I ended up doing was getting some fly spray or flea spray that has pyrethrum as the active ingredient. This is harmless to pets. Then I would spray some of it onto a wad of petroleum jelly and mix it all up and spread the jelly on my pets' ears. The petroleum jelly kept the insecticide from drying off; it lasts for hours on my pets' ears. Whenever I watch nature shows on TV and see those poor lions in Africa bothered by those wretched flies, I just feel like reaching into the TV and spreading some of my mixture all over their pathetic fly-bitten ears. ___ Fleas and ticks are year-old Australian cattle dog who loves to chase bubbles. He gets great exercise running around after them and every now Q: My son has a 1- DAILYNEWS in Discount Coupons were published last week in the $ 28 44 $ RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY offering percentage discounts, two-for-ones and Free-with-Purchase offers! … And that does not count all the ads Don't miss a day of it! Subscribe Today 527-2151 It pays for itself. 44 and then is able to catch one. I was wondering if the soap from the bubbles would be harmful to him. We do exercise him in other ways, but he really seems to like chasing the bubbles. A: I have used bubbles as entertainment for my pets for decades. My dogs, cats, all types of birds, ferrets, rabbits and even monkeys have all enjoyed chasing and pop- ping bubbles. It seems they never lose hope that they will be able to grab or catch one that does not pop on impact. I've asked vets if there were any issues with this and I was told that, while there have never been any scientific studies on this subject, the tiny bit of soap that is actually ingested will not cause the pet any harm. Several companies make a soap scented with catnip for cats that love to chase bubbles. ___ Q: We replaced our old concrete bird bath five weeks ago with a newer ceramic one. Why does it seem, many weeks later, that we still see none of our regular visitors? The location is unchanged. A: A watering place can be dangerous for birds. It is the one place where they have to let their guard down. A bird is never more vulnerable than when it is taking a bath and its feathers are wet and reactions delayed. So birds want to be certain that all is OK with the new bath. In their minds, it is better to be alive and dirty than clean and eaten by a cat or a hawk. Most likely they will start to use the new bath any week now. James W. Tysinger, Jr. M.D. Eye Physician & Surgeon Fellow American Academy of Ophthalmology We accept Medical, Medicare & most Insurances Office Hours: Tues-Wed-Thurs 8am-4:30pm Mon & Fri 1pm-4:30pm For Emergencies, After Hours, Week-ends, Call 530-567-5001 345 Hickory St. Red Bluff Tel: (530) 529-4733 Fax: (530) 529-1114