Beware illegal trade in sick puppies.Byline: PET CARE with vet Jennie Vet Jennie answers your questions about pet care in this weekly advice column, created in partnership with the Bahrain Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals cruelty to animals n. the crime of inflicting physical pain, suffering or death on an animal, usually a tame one, beyond necessity for normal discipline. It can include neglect that is so monstrous (withholding food and water) that the animal has suffered, died or (BSPCA BSPCA Bahrain Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals BSPCA Brownsville Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Brownsville, TX) ). We will also be highlighting each week just one of the animals in the BSPCA sanctuary, in the hope of finding them a loving home. Question: I just bought a Pekinese puppy from a Bahrain pet shop and she seemed perfectly healthy. Her vaccinations appeared to be current and she has Thai papers.It's been a week and she's started coughing over the last couple of days, should I be worried? Answer: I would certainly advise you to take your puppy to the vet for a check-up. We find a lot of these puppies coming in from Thailand develop coughs and/or other illnesses - usually within two to three weeks of being sold, due to the incubation periods. Some of these resolve very quickly with treatment, however some cases can take a long time to improve and may even be life-threatening. The majority of Thai puppies arriving into Bahrain have not had their vaccinations - the records are often falsified in order to get the puppies into Bahrain whilst they are still young. This puts them at great risk from a wide range of diseases such as Parvovirus parvovirus (pär'vōvī`rəs), any of several small DNA viruses that cause several diseases in animals, including humans. In humans, parvoviruses cause fifth disease, or erythema infectiosum, an acute disease usually affecting young and Canine Distemper canine distemper n. See distemper1. Noun 1. canine distemper - a viral disease of young dogs characterized by high fever and respiratory inflammation distemper - any of various infectious viral diseases of animals - technically they should not leave Thailand until they are four months old anyway. My advice to anyone buying a puppy is to take them for a check-up with the vaccination record. This may not guarantee they do not get ill, but will allow the vet to advise on the potential problems facing that particular puppy, pick up on any existing problems and ensure that they have received adequate vaccinations. Jennie works at Dr Nonie Coutts Veterinary Surgery Veterinary surgery is surgery performed on animals by veterinarians. Most veterinarians perform surgery, but it is also possible to specialize in surgery by becoming board certified. . Please send questions to vetquestions4bspca@gmail.com. BSPCA's Pet of the Week. This week's BSPCA Pet of the Week is Woody, who, along with 53 other sanctuary dogs, enjoyed a great day out at last week's BSPCA-sponsored Dog Walk. Name: Woody Breed: Mixed breed Colour: Brown and white Coat: Short-haired Sex: Male Age: 18 months Neutered: Yes Woody was taken on the BSPCA dog walk and proved how gentle and well behaved he is on the lead. His patient nature and medium size make him well suited to older children. He is alert yet calm, an excellent indicator that he will be receptive to additional obedience training. Contact: BSPCA Sanctuary, 17591231. Open to the public 9am to 1pm. Closed Sundays. Copyright 2009 Gulf Daily News Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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