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Remember Abby? Blog reader Sandy adopted this adorable feral kitten earlier this year. On top is a picture of Abby when she first came to live with Sandy, and below is a picture of Abby now, more than half way to being a grown-up kitty and ready to play what will surely be her annual role as the very best Halloween decoration ever.

Abby would like to remind everyone to have a safe and happy Halloween this Saturday. Remember to keep the candy, especially chocolate and gum, far away from nosy pet noses. Be careful to keep the pets away when opening the door to those spooky trick-or-treaters. And if you dress your pet in a costume, make sure she or he can move easily in it and doesn't get too hot.

And take pictures and e-mail them to pets@roanoke.com.

And if you are coming back to the Wag for the first time this week, check out the entry two posts below for details on winning a great book. Keep those dog vs. kitty comments coming folks.

I admit I have been a lazy blogger this week. Lots going on here at work, getting ready for a three-day weekend, etc. Just like everyone else, I've got a million reasons for my malaise.

But mostly my problem today is I am staring out my office window into the beautiful sunshine, and I know the temperature outside is nearly perfect, and I am just having a hard time concentrating on much of anything but weekend fun that is just a few hours away.

So if you have big plans ahead, I wanted to share this list circulated via e-mail from the ASPCA about how you and your pet can have a safe and happy holiday weekend.  Most of it's pretty common sense, but I did learn a few things. No human-type sunscreen for dogs? Who knew?

Enjoy!

• Do not apply any sunscreen or insect repellent product to your pet that is not labeled specifically for use on animals. Ingestion of sunscreen products can result in drooling, vomiting, diarrhea, excessive thirst and lethargy. The misuse of insect repellent that contains DEET can lead to neurological problems.
• Always assign a dog guardian. No matter where you’re celebrating, be sure to assign a friend or member of the family to keep an eye on your pooch—especially if you’re not in a fenced-in yard or other secure area. With all the festivities, it’s easy to overlook a dog on the run!
• Made in the shade. Pets can get dehydrated quickly, so give them plenty of fresh, clean water, and make sure they have a shady place to escape the sun. Be careful to not over-exercise them, and keep them indoors when it's extremely hot.
• Always keep matches and lighter fluid out of paws’ reach. Certain types of matches contain chlorates, which could potentially damage blood cells and result in difficulty breathing—or even kidney disease in severe cases. Lighter fluid can be irritating to skin, and if ingested, can produce gastrointestinal irritation and central nervous system depression. If lighter fluid is inhaled, pneumonia and breathing problems could develop.
• Keep your pet on his normal diet. Any change, even for one meal, can give your pet severe indigestion and diarrhea. This is particularly true for older animals who have more delicate digestive systems and nutritional requirements. And keep in mind that people foods such as onions, chocolate, coffee, avocado, salt, yeast dough, grapes and raisins can all be potentially toxic to companion animals.
• Keep citronella candles, insect coils and oil products out of reach. Ingesting any of these items can produce stomach irritation and possibly even central nervous system depression in your pets, and if inhaled, the oils could cause aspiration pneumonia.
• Never leave your dog alone in the car. Traveling with your dog means occasionally you’ll make stops in places where he’s not permitted. Be sure to rotate dog walking duties between family members, and never leave your animals alone in a parked vehicle. On a hot day, a parked car can become a furnace in no time, even with the windows open—not to mention it’s illegal in several states!
• Make a safe splash. Don’t leave pets unsupervised around a pool—not all dogs are good swimmers. Introduce your pets to water gradually and make sure they wear flotation devices when on boats. Rinse your dog off after swimming to remove chlorine or salt from his fur, and try to keep your dog from drinking pool water, which contains chlorine and other chemicals that could cause stomach upset.

iStock photo

It's the time of year when we in the media feel compelled to remind everyone not to leave pets and small children in cars. The temperature inside a car in the summer heat with the windows rolled up can soar to 120 degrees and can cause heat stroke and death in less than 20 minutes.

But I would also like to say that when you see a situation that seems perilous, like a dog left in a car with the windows rolled up, I think you are compelled to find the owner and politely offer help. Emphasis on politely.

Yesterday morning, with temperatures in the mid-80s and low humidity, I was out on a reporting assignment when I saw a parked car with a beautiful golden retriever in the back hatch inside a crate. All the windows were rolled up.

The car was in the parking lot when I arrived so I had no idea how long the pooch had been in the car. This lot was also on a busy highway with lots of construction work near by, so it was very noisy.

I went inside to the building and asked the receptionist if she knew about the dog in the car. Another woman in the lobby said it was her dog, and that the car was running, she was headed right out and everything was OK. That was most likely true and I just couldn't hear the engine over all the other noise. The dog did not appear to be in distress.

I think the woman was annoyed and offended with me for butting in. I really tried to be polite about asking, and smiled at her and thanked her as she left. I certainly did not mean to imply she was not being a good pet parent; she did have her dog in a crate in the car so I could assume she cared about her dog's safety.

I just wanted to make sure that someone was aware the dog was there and that I could find help for the dog if needed.

I am not going to let offending someone keep me from preventing a pet, child or anyone else from getting hurt, but I do believe it is best to approach such a situation not from a place of accusing anger, but from a place of helpful concern. I thought that's what I did and I regret that the lady understood it any other way.

So the lesson I learned, besides not to leave living things in a closed car in the summer (I killed some houseplants that way once years ago) is try to keep your cool on either end of a sticky situation.

Today's entry is a repeat topic from last week but one that seems timely with the upcoming holiday.

Saturday we celebrate Independence Day and that means fireworks. If you have a fearful dog like my greyhound Coral, you are probably not looking forward to the inevitable anxiety attack that will surely happen once the sky goes dark and the lights go up.

I am prepared to deal with the big public displays in the distance that start and end at a predictable time.  What is going to make it a little tough at my house are all the firecrackers that folks shoot off on the cul-de-sac where we live and throughout our neighborhood. There will sporadic booms, bangs and snaps all weekend long, which will make calming our nervous pooch a real challenge.

I do, however, realize that's the fun of the holiday and I certainly don't expect people that live two blocks away from me not to enjoy themselves because it makes my dog crazy. I studied astronomy in college and while I didn't retain much of it,  I do recall learning that the world does not revolve around me or my problems.

Our other big challenge is keeping all three dogs from table-surfing the snacks and sipping out of unattended glasses of margaritas, but that's an entry for another day.

Here's a link to petside.com, one of my favorite pet-related Web sites, with some good advice on how to handle the Fourth of July with a scaredy-dog like our Miss Coral.

Enjoy your holiday.

Fourth of July rituals at the Nelson household include: Firing up the grill. Icing down the beer. Inviting over friends.  Comforting the dog. 

While we humans enjoy the sparkle and glitter of fireworks, many pets, including my greyhound Coral, just hate the loud, sustained booming sounds. She has no idea what that racket is, but she wants nothing to do with it and usually seeks refuge in our bedroom closet. Last year we gave her an herbal elixir called Rescue Remedy, and while it seemed to help, she is still no fan of July 4th mayhem.

Having seen enough fireworks in my life, I don't mind keeping my anxious pooch company, although I usually just watch TV on the chair in the bedroom while she hunkers down among the shoes. While Coral finds solace in her safe place, many pets go into an all-out panic during the explosive sky light show and can hurt themselves or others or escape into the darkness.

If your pet has a history of fireworks freak-outs, or this is the first Independence Day with your pet and you don't know what to expect, here are some tips from the Roanoke Valley SPCA to keep everyone safe during the holiday:

• Keep your animals inside the house in a secure room where they can not break through a window or dart out the door. If your animal is crate trained and you will not be home, keep your pet in his crate - he will be safer and happier in "his room".
• Play soothing music or turn the TV on to a "pet friendly" station. This will help mask the sounds from outside and keep your pet calm and happy while you are gone.
• Make sure your animal is wearing a collar with current ID tags. Microchips are also very important because collars can be taken off or lost.  Most important is that any type of identification have up to date names, addresses and phone numbers.

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If one of my pets would go missing, I would be frantic to find him or her. Scouring the neighborhood and the shelters would be a top priority.

It seems now that I could add robo-calls to my bag of pet-finding tools.

A colleague of mine said she got an automated call last Thursday about a lost dog in her area. She said the call provided a general description of the dog and a phone number that she could call if she had any information about the wandering pooch.

The call came from lostmydoggie.com, a California-based service that will issue an Amber alert-style phone message to all your neighbors about your missing critter for a fee.

The call my co-worker received was about Baxter, a wayward Maltese. He has since been found. According to the Web site, a ferret named Will in the Blacksburg area has also been reunited with his family. (They are not limited by the name of the company; the service will list non-canine pets.)

According to the Web site, the company maintains a huge database of residential phone numbers (they don't call businesses) and is exempt for the Do Not Call registry. The calls go out within an hour of the notification and payment of the fees, which run from $75 to $475 depending on the size of the area you want called.

The Web site also offers many useful tips for organizing the search for your missing animal. They say they have an almost 65 percent success rate in finding pets, and offer testimonials from pet parents who were pleased with the service. 

You have to wonder how many of those pets would have been found without the phone calls, using good old shoe-leather detective work in searching for the pet.

Have any of you used this service? Have you gotten a call from them? While all of my phones are on the Do Not Call register, I certainly would not object to such a call, but I am clearly an animal lover. What do you think?

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.

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.)

The Roanoke Valley SPCA is sponsoring a microchip clinic on Saturday, April 25, from 10 a.m. to noon.

The tiny chip is inserted under the pet's skin between the shoulder blades. That sounds worse than it actually is. Even my paper-thin-skinned greyhounds barely flinched when they were chipped. 

At the moment of chip insertion, I believe my kitty, Thai, gave the vet a very dirty look, similar to this one.

But hey, he's a cat. That's just how he rolls.

The chip can ensure that your pet finds the way home if he or she ever becomes lost. As careful as we all try to be with our pets, sometimes they just slip away. If your pet is found, that chip becomes your pet's identification card, allowing any animal control officer anywhere to be able to reunite you with your wayward fur baby.

Prove that you adopted your best buddy from the RVSPCA and the fee for the chip is only $15. For all other critters, the fee is $25. If you adopted your pal from the RVSPCA in the last two years, you have no worries; your critter is already chipped.

Sammy, a two-year-old mixed breed shelter rescue dog, is led up the ramp of the dog friendly Honda Element concept car displayed at the 2009 New York International Auto Show on April 9. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK (AP) — A new offering from Honda Motor Co. may get dogs more interested in checking out the inside of their ride rather than hanging their heads out the window.

The Japanese automaker showed off a "Dog Friendly" version of the Honda Element SUV at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday. The concept features a cushioned pet bed with safety restraints in the cargo area, a spill-resistant water bowl, and even a ventilation fan to keep canines comfortable. A folding ramp gives animals an easy way to get in and out.

In the back seat, there's an integrated pet carrier and machine-washable seat covers to make it convenient and safe to carry smaller pets. The rubber floor mats feature a toy-bone pattern, and paw-print emblems on the side and back of the vehicle draw attention to its pet-friendly status.

Honda says it's still finalizing the features, but the Dog Friendly Element will be available this fall.

"Pets have become more like family, more important to households than ever before," said James Jenkins, a senior product planner for Honda. "We felt this was the perfect vehicle to offer such dog friendly features."

The Element already is appealing to pet owners because of features such as its easy-to-clean flooring in the cargo area and its wide doors.

Honda showed an interest in pets through the "Wonderful Openhearted Wagon" concept the company unveiled in 2005. That demonstration model included pet-friendly materials, a place for small animals to ride right up front, and a larger pet carrier that popped up from the floor in the back seat. Pet owners quickly started clamoring for Honda to put the features into production, Jenkins said.

The new Element may help Honda find a powerful niche market to revive sales of the Element, which are down 61 percent in the first three months of this year.

It's no secret that pet owners are willing to open their pocketbooks to pamper their pooches. There are about 75 million dogs in the U.S., and the market for pet products and services totaled more than $43 billion last year, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.

Pricing for the Dog Friendly Element hasn't been disclosed, but standard versions of the vehicle start around $21,000, including destination charges.