Latest news with #doghealth
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Health
- The Sun
Amazing news for pet owners as dogs now live two YEARS longer – here are the reasons why
DOGS live two years longer on average than they did ten years ago, data research shows. Pooches now have a life expectancy of 12-and-a-half years, compared to just over ten a decade ago. Experts say it is down to improved vet treatments and owners feeding them healthier food. Pet food firm Bella+Duke, which did the study, also said 58 per cent of owners reckon their dog is as much a part of the family as the humans in it. The study said owners are 'investing more time and money in their pets, elevating the bond to one mirroring the connection between parent and child'. The report looked at data on 580,000 pets collected by Liverpool John Moores University and dog organisations the Kennel Club and Dogs Trust B+D co-founder Tony Ottley said many dog lovers are adopting healthier diets for themselves and want the same for their pets. He said: 'Increasingly, we hear, 'If I wouldn't eat processed junk, why should my dog?'. 'Pet owners are demanding minimally processed, nutritious food.' The majority of dog owners care more about their pet's health than their own 1
CTV News
3 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
‘Potential for this to spread is huge': Parvovirus outbreak alarms pet owners in London housing complex
Exterior 349 Wharncliffe Road North community housing building where there have been confirmed cases of parvovirus. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) Pet owners in two community housing buildings on Wharncliffe Road North are on edge after at least two dogs contracted parvovirus and were euthanized. 'I'm a little bit more worried,' said Carol Roots, a dog owner who lives in one of the buildings. 'But my plan is to get Dane vaccinated very soon.' Dane is among roughly 100 dogs living in the two buildings managed by London & Middlesex Community Housing. Progressive Animal Welfare Services (PAWS), a local animal welfare charity, is calling for immediate action to prevent further spread of the highly contagious virus. 'It's so concerning. There is a large number of dogs in the building. Most of them are unvaccinated,' said Emily Birkner, fundraising initiatives manager at PAWS. 'The potential for this to spread is huge.' Parvovirus is a highly infectious disease that spreads easily from dog to dog, with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea. If left untreated, it can be fatal. In January, an outbreak in Windsor killed 25 dogs. 'Ultimately, we're looking at about $250 to get your dog vaccinated,' Birkner said. 'As this is a low-income housing area, that makes it inaccessible to the majority of the residents.' 062425 Exterior of 345 and 349 Wharncliffe Road North community housing buildings where there have been confirmed cases of parvovirus. (Reta Ismail/CTV News London) Linda Armstrong, board chair of PAWS, said the key issue is accessibility. 'The issue is that we really need someone to come on site to do the vaccinations,' she said. 'Transporting all these people and their possibly infected pets in a vehicle to another vet to potentially infect that clinic, it's not a great plan.' In the meantime, London & Middlesex Community Housing has posted notices in common areas and on every floor of the two buildings, urging tenants to take precautions. 'Treatment outside on the pavement, in the hallways... if we read the material, they want us to bleach the site,' said Paul Chisholm, CEO of the housing authority. 'We know that's not practical, so we're trying to figure out how do we respond to this.' Armstrong said she is now working with local veterinarians to coordinate on-site vaccinations as time remains critical.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Gone to the dogs! 72% of British owners admit pulling sickies to look after a poorly pooch
Forget duvet days - Britain's workforce really has gone to the dogs. New research has revealed that 72% of owners admit to pulling a sickie to look after poorly pups, costing the UK economy an estimated £13.8 billion a year in lost wages. The average person takes eight days off a year to nurse their dog, with 52% caring more about their animal's health than their partner's, according to the study by pet food company ( Nearly 40% admit they've lost sleep worrying about their dog's health, while 36% say they'd never trust anyone else to look after a sick pooch. Dr Sean McCormack, Head Vet at said: "Sick days are really stressful and tough to deal with for dogs and their owners. Anything we can do together to help limit sick days is hugely beneficial. "While some illnesses can't be prevented, ensuring your dog is eating a complete, balanced and nutritious diet, getting the right amount of exercise and having regular health check ups can help to limit the need to take too much time off and your pets living healthier lives." London owners can get a quick health check for their dog at Victoria Park this week, just by letting their pet pee on specially designed lampposts equipped with pH tests. These detect abnormal levels of acid or alkaline in urine, which can be early indicators of health issues. Dr McCormack and in-house behaviourist will also be on hand to interpret the results and offer advice on how to ensure your dog is in tip-top shape. "A dog's urine can tell us a lot about what's going on inside their body," Dr McCormack said. "By making these tests quick and easy for owners, we're helping to catch potential issues early - before they become more serious or harder to treat." The team will be in Victoria Park on 24 and 25 June from 8am to 12pm and 3pm to 7pm. How to spot when your dog needs a vet check 1. Eating habits If your dog suddenly goes off their food or becomes ravenously hungry, it could be a red flag. Sudden weight loss or gain is always worth investigating. 2. Check their coat and skin Your dog's coat is a great barometer of their overall health. Look out for excessive scratching, bald patches, redness, lumps, or a dull, greasy coat. A quick daily brush can help you spot issues early. 3. Changes to drinking or urination If your dog is suddenly drinking more water than usual or asking to go out to pee more frequently, this could be a sign of underlying health issues like diabetes, kidney disease, or a urinary tract infection. On the flip side, straining to urinate or accidents in the house that are abnormal can also indicate problems. 4. Don't ignore bad breath or drooling While doggy breath isn't always pleasant, a sudden increase in bad breath, drooling, or difficulty chewing can indicate dental disease, which, if left untreated, can affect the heart and kidneys. Regular dental checks and brushing can help.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Hamilton dog park shuttered due to concerns over contaminated soil
A City of Hamilton sign is pictured above in this file photo. A Hamilton dog park has been closed as a 'precaution' following concerns about potentially hazardous soil at the site, according to a report from city staff. The Birch Avenue dog park was shuttered after city staff said results from soil samples at the leash-free site found 'exceedances on some criteria of the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks current standards for parkland.' In a report sent to city council last week, staff say the soil poses 'no imminent danger to people,' but the impacts on dog health 'remain uncertain.' 'Effective immediately and out of an abundance of caution related to protecting health of dogs, the dog park will be closed to the public until further notice,' the staff report read. 'The fully fenced dog park will be locked and a closure notice sign will be placed at the entrance. These precautionary measures are based on the initial soil screening information.' The soil screening was undertaken following a complaint in May 2024 from an area resident who was concerned that the soil condition was negatively impacting the health of dogs using the park, possibly leading to illness and even death. The dog park, city staff said, opened in 2010 and was previously used as a disposal location for non-hazardous fill, including brick, rubble, and concrete. 'When the park was established, site background studies were reviewed and determined to meet the standards at the time for park use,' the report read. A consultant has been engaged to conduct further review of the tests with a 'dog as the target species in mind,' the report continued. 'Once comprehensive testing and information is available, next steps can be better understood and planned,' staff concluded. 'It is recognized this closure will be an inconvenience and ask for patience while further testing is completed.'
The Guardian
18-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
What is rat lungworm disease and why are cases rising in dogs in Australia?
Cases of rat lungworm disease have been increasing in dogs on Australia's east coast over the past five years, according to new research from the University of Sydney. A very rare but sometimes deadly condition caused by worm larvae travelling up the food chain, the disease has been found in a small but increasing number of dogs in areas affected by heavy rain, and occasionally also in humans. So why are cases growing and how worried should we be? The rat lungworm, or Angiostrongylus cantonensis, is a parasite that originated in south-east Asia but has spread to other parts of the world, including North America, Europe and Australia. The parasite's natural host is feral rats, but it can accidentally make its way to other animals through a complicated transmission process involving snails and slugs as intermediate hosts. When it finds its way into humans and dogs, rat lungworm can cause a disease called neural angiostrongyliasis. In humans, it's diagnosed as a kind of meningitis, or eosinophilic meningoencephalitis. Symptoms in humans include headaches, a stiff neck, tingling or pain in the skin, fever, nausea and vomiting. Symptoms in dogs include hindlimb and tail paralysis, urinary incontinence and abnormal pain responses. The time between eating the infected slug or snail and getting sick is usually between one and three weeks. University of Sydney doctoral researcher Phoebe Rivory, lead author of the recent paper, explained that it's not the parasite itself that does the damage but the body's attempts to fight it. 'In dogs and humans, the parasite enters the brain but rather than progressing to the lungs like it does in rats, it is killed in the brain by our own immune response. It is that overt immune response that causes severe headaches and sensations,' Rivory said. New South Wales Health says it is rare for humans to develop meningitis in response to rat lungworm, and most people who contract rat lungworm have no symptoms at all, while others may have only mild, short-lived symptoms. Rats infected with adult worms excrete larvae in their faeces, which is then ingested by snails and slugs. Dogs and people are most likely to contract the parasite when they deliberately or accidentally eat a raw snail or slug carrying the larvae, or unwashed vegetables, such as lettuce, contaminated with infected slime. The parasite is not contagious from person to person. In a well-known case, Australian man Sam Ballard contracted eosinophilic meningoencephalitis in 2010 after being dared by his friends to eat a slug. He fell into a coma for 420 days, and acquired a brain injury. Ballard died in 2018, aged 29. In another well-known case, an American woman was found to have rat lungworm disease after multiple attempts to seek medical help for strange symptoms after a holiday to Thailand, Japan and Hawaii. The University of Sydney researchers have been examining the prevalence of rat lungworm disease in dogs on the basis that they are a sentinel population for humans – that is, increased rates of the disease in dogs can be an early warning sign of human disease risk. Researchers analysed 180 clinical samples taken between 2020 and 2024 from dogs suspected to have had the disease, and confirmed 93 cases, all in or around Sydney and Brisbane, and a 'gradual upward trend'. They also discovered a spike of 32 cases in 2022, correlating with high levels of rainfall, which tends to supercharge snail and slug proliferation. Confirmed cases of the disease in dogs are still very low, restricted to NSW and Queensland, and have fallen since the 2022 spike identified by the researchers, although not to 2019 levels. The researchers suggest that educating communities about how to avoid infection, and what symptoms dog owners should look out for in their pets, may be worthwhile. Rat lungworm is not a notifiable disease in NSW due to its rarity. In both NSW and Queensland, preventative anti-parasitic treatments for people, especially children, known to have ingested slugs or snails can be accessed through the health system.
