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Last week I was forwarded an e-mail from a reader who wrote that she has recently acquired a puppy that she thought had dandruff.  She wrote that she took the puppy to the vet two days later for a checkup and found out the puppy had something worse: He had walking dandruff.

I had never heard of it but after a little research I was feeling pretty itchy.

Walking dandruff is a skin condition known clinically as cheyletiella mange and it is caused by a parasitic mite. It is incredibly uncomfortable for the dog, cat or rabbit affected, is highly contagious among animals and can cause an itchy rash for humans.

There are different types of these mites and they are species-specific, so the types that attack dogs are not exactly the same as the ones that affect cats and they vary still from the ones that infest bunnies. All can cause humans to scratch up a storm.

I called Jennifer McFarling, the veterinarian at the Roanoke Valley SPCA, and she said these mites are rather unusual but they can be problem because they are contagious. The good news is that a course of an parasiticide like Revolution will usually take care of the problem. The bad news is that if your pet is infested, she said a pretty thorough cleaning of your house would be in order.

She said humans are not the preferred host for the bugs, but humans can carry them and that exposure could cause an itchy rash.

You can see the actual bugs. They look like the scale of dry skin, but upon close examination you can see them moving, hence the name "walking dandruff."

McFarling said that most dogs with a healthy immune system are not usually susceptible to this infestation. She said, knock on wood, she has not seen a case yet while working at the shelter, where stray mutts from all kinds of situations are seen regularly.

I called the woman who sent the original e-mail and she said the puppy is doing well but he's quarantined until his second treatment. So far she said no one in her family has developed a rash.

I called the person from whom she said she acquired the pup and she told me that no other dogs in her care were affected and all have been seen by a vet. You may want to be careful, however, when handling puppies, whose immature immune systems make them more susceptible to this condition.

I write this entry purely as a cautionary tale. If you are wandering through a pet store or looking at a litter and the puppies appear to need a shampoo with Head and Shoulders, you may want to hold back on the cuddling.

A rabid stray cat attacked a pet owner and another cat in Franklin County last Tuesday, health officials said today.

According to a news release from the Virginia Dept. of Health's West Piedmont district office, the stray cat attacked a second cat near its residence on Rakes Road about one mile from Scuffling Hill Road in Franklin County on May 12. 

The home owner was scratched by the stray attempting to break up the fight.

The stray cat, described as a medium-to-large sized, male orange tabby, was captured and quarantined at the Franklin County Animal Shelter. It was euthanized after it became sick and tests confirmed the cat had rabies.

Officials are asking that if you or your pet might have had contact with this stray cat from May 4 through May 14 to call the Franklin County Health Department at 484-0292 or the Franklin County Animal Control at 483-7440.

The person who was scratched by the stray has been referred to seek post-exposure treatment for rabies. As a result of the attack, 11 other cats are under quarantine at home. All 11 cats were vaccinated for rabies, health officials reported.

Rabies is a viral infection that is nearly 100 percent fatal in mammals once symptoms develop. Besides making sure all your pets are vaccinated, the health department recommends not allowing them to run loose. They also recommend that you do not leave food and water outside as this could attract rabid wildlife.

Avoid contact with stray and wild animals, but if you are scratched or bitten, thoroughly wash the wound with warm water and soap and contact your doctor immediately.

I know dogs will eat a lot of things that are, well, not really food.  Paper, for instance, is not something most people past the age of six would ever consider consuming unless they are hiding evidence. But to my dogs paper, and especially cardboard, is like a gourmet treat to be chewed and savored.

That behavior does not surprise me. If are going to be a pet parent to dogs, expect that they will ingest all manner of disgusting materials at least once, and many make it a lifelong habit.

But my dogs like weird food. At least, it seems weird that the dogs would like this food. Chicken and cheese are no-brainers. Beef and pork, completely understandable.

But edamame?

Stormy and Dexter absolutely loved the tender little soy beans. Coral, not so much. But the boys eat her share.

Blueberries are a big treat. We toss the antioxidant-rich nuggets and they catch them mid-air. And Stormy will stare you down begging for a bite of a banana. In fact, the only thing I have found that Stormy won't eat is iceberg lettuce.  And who can blame him, really?

The ASPCA, keeper of the world's largest database of animal poisons, suggests that pet parents scrupulously avoid chocolate, raisins, grapes, avocados and citrus fruits. That was a bummer for little Stormy, because I put an end to my daughter feeding him sections of her clementines.

I have also heard you should avoid garlic too. Really all people food should be off-limits, but I try to give our pooches unprocessed, natural people food as snacks, a policy I should follow more stringently for myself.

What crazy foods do your critters like to nibble?

With the warm weather and fun-in-the-sun comes the risk of getting bitten by nasty bugs. We use a monthly prescription flea medication on our dogs and cats that also covers ticks, but no protection is 100 percent effective.

Here's a little tip I found on the Web this week:

If you find a tick on your pet or, yikes, on yourself, it can easily be removed without tweezers or pulling on the nasty bloodsucker.

Take liquid soap and saturate a cotton ball. Cover the offending bug and rub slightly with the soap-soaked cotton ball for 20 to 30 seconds. The tick will come out on its own into the cotton ball. (Where he can be squished and disposed of properly!)

If you have ever tried this, post a comment and let us know how it worked. If you have other suggestions for ridding your pets of invaders, please share.

If you indulged in a few too many Girl Scout cookies this year, know that those extra calories may have indirectly helped to feed hungry pets.

(Hey, I don’t judge when it comes to throwing down on GS cookies. Give me a glass of milk and I can finish off an entire box of those chocolate-coconut-caramel cookies all by my little lonesome. Seriously.)

The young ladies of Girl Scout Troop 173 chose to donate 25 percent of their profits from selling their tasty treats to the Roanoke Valley SPCA Pet Eat Too program.

According to the press release from the RVSPCA, the girls wanted to give back to the community and they liked the feeling of helping pets that other people have chosen to love but are unable to feed. 

The troop members know that a pet is truly your best friend for life.

They shopped at PetSmart near Valley View mall and, being savvy consumers, they used coupons to get the most for their money. The girls delivered the food to the RVSPCA and took a tour of the facility. 

The PET program provides pet food to clients of Meals on Wheels, and sends food to Manna Ministriesand Bethel Baptist Church for distribution at their food pantries. A fourth partner, Botetourt Food Pantry, recently joined the program.

Food donations are accepted at the RVSPCA, Black Dog Salvage and Ukrops supermarket.  (Until the end of the month, BDS will also give customers that donate pet food at their store a 25 percent discount.)

Cash donations to help purchase supplies such as Zip Lock bags and plastic containers used for repackaging the food are also accepted. 

For more information about the program go to the RVSPCA Web site.

Today is National Hairball Awareness Day. Thanks to the good people at Furminator for reminding me of it.

Here's a link to the column I wrote a while back about hairballs. While I have indeed been known to make a few jokes about hairballs, it turns out they really are serious business.

If your cat is hacking up more than his or her share of the nasty little gobs, you do want to make sure to take kitty to the vet. Excessive hairballs can be a sign of stomach irritation or other digestive problems.

As long as the vet says your kitty's plumbing is in good working order, you can help alleviate the hairball burden by relieving your kitty of excess hair. Thai loves, loves, LOVES a good brushing and it is nothing short of amazing how much hair I can glean off that cat. Seems like he should be bald after I de-fluff him, but he has plenty of fluff left.

Just remember, every handful of loose hair you can brush off your cat is one less hairball that will be deposited directly on your route to the bathroom. In the middle of the night. When you are barefoot. And can't see.

Yeah, all you cat people know what I mean.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is urging all horse owners to vaccinate their noble steeds now against the West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis.

Boosters are required for the vaccines every six months in mosquito-prone areas, including southeastern Virginia and the Tidewater area.

The decreased number of reported cases of the infections in Virginia horses in the last two years has VDACS officials concerned that horse owners will become lulled into a sense of security that the diseases are no longer a threat in the commonwealth.

"A major factor in the decline in cases in 2007 and 2008 could have been the weather conditions," Dr. Joseph Garvin is quoted in a news release. Garvin is the program manager for VDACS' office of laboratory services. Dry conditions in Virginia may have meant fewer mosquitoes biting over the last two summers, but that may not hold true in 2009.

"It is possible weather conditions this year may again favor increased mosquito populations," Garvin said.

West Nile virus claims the lives of 30 percent of infected horses, and Eastern equine encephalitis is far deadlier, with a 90 percent mortality rate.

An infected horse cannot transfer the disease to healthy horses. Humans are not at risk of getting either illness by handling an infected horse.

Besides keeping your horses up-to-date on their vaccines, the VDACS recommends using insect repellents, dumping stagnant water where mosquitoes breed and staying clear of areas heavily inhabited by 'skeeters. (Um, yeah. Good advice for anyone, I'd say.)

Angels of Assisi, the no-kill animal shelter in downtown Roanoke, is now offering wellness checks and vaccinations for pooches and kitties.

For as low as $20 per pet, you can get your dogs and cats seen by a vet and up-to-date on their vaccines. It's really important to make sure your pets are protected against rabies, especially as the weather gets warmer and more wild -and possibly infected- critters are out and about foraging for food.

Call 344-8707 for an appointment, Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. 

The shelter is located at 415 Campbell Avenue.

William Watson, RVSPCA executive director, and RVSCPA employees William Green and Nathan Miller assist Ann Richards of Manna Ministries in unloading food donated for the PET program.

Bethel Baptist Church's food pantry has become the third partner in the Roanoke Valley SPCA's Pets Eat Too program.

Bethel's pantry joins Manna Ministries and the Local Office on Aging in distributing donated cat and dog food to elderly and low-income families in our area. The donated food, collected for the RVSPCA by retailers including Ukrops on Franklin Road and Black Dog Salvage on 13th Street in Old Southwest, allows families, especially seniors, to keep their beloved companions.

For the rest of the month of April, Black Dog Salvage will give a 25 percent discount to customers who bring in six cans or an 8-pound or larger bag of food for the PET program.

Gov. Tim Kaine signed a bill last week that requires antifreeze to be spiked with an bitter tasting chemical that will deter pets from licking the sweet-but-toxic substance.
Antifreeze kills approximately 10,000 pets a year, according to Sara Amundson, executive director of the Humane Society Legislative Fund. Admundson added that the 10,000 reported deaths are a "low estimate."

The bill was sponsored by Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), who introduced it in January.

"One of my constituents, Yvonne Royster, came in and told me that she had learned about the accidental poisoning of two dogs on her postal route," Cox is quoted in an article on zootoo.com. "She was very concerned, and I thought, 'Let's take a look at this, and see if there is a way to stop these animals from dying.' "

Virginia is now one of seven other states that has adopted such a measure. Oregon passed such a law almost 15 years ago, while Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, Tennessee, Maine and California did so in the last few years.

The law specifically calls for all imported car engine coolants/antifreeze that have more than 10 percent ethylene glycol also contain denatonium benzoate. The compound is innocuous, but it adds a bitter taste.

According to Cox, two-thirds of American veterinarians report seeing at least one animal poisoned by engine coolant each year.

Antifreeze poisoning affects the central nervous system and can eventually lead to kidney and liver failure. Engine coolant and other chemicals should be securely stored where curious pets and children can't get them.

"For a 25-pound dog, it can take just as much as a few licks for this stuff to take effect," Amundson is quoted.

According to the zootoo.com article, there are three main plants that manufacture the product in this country - those plants now set aside specific batches of antifreeze to ship off to states like Virginia.

Amundson said the main manufacturer of antifreeze has worked cooperatively with lawmakers and the HSUS, for passage of the bill.

"...[t]hat is a really special, rare situation, where the corporations and animal protection advocates were able to come together," she said. "It's been a wonderful, collaborative effort."

All this sounds great to me, but what I wonder is why the manufacturers don't just add the chemical to all the antifreeze, regardless of where it goes? If they know it prevents pet deaths, why only add it where it's required and not everywhere? 

Perhaps it's more cost effective to seperate the batches, but I would gladly pay more for a product that I know is safer, whether it's required by law or not.