Whether it is your first pet, or you already have a family of furies, bringing an adorable puppy or kitten home is a decision not to be made easily. If you decide to own a pet, you are making a commitment for the life of the pet. This decision is expensive and time consuming for the whole family. A pet is much like a baby. At least for the first few weeks, the pet is completely dependent on the members of the family for everything from feeding to training and exercising.  

Choosing the right pet for the family can be difficult. Pets are fairly expensive and their care is as well. Certain shelters make sure all animals up for adoption have had their vaccines and proper care, other do not. Whenever you adopt a pet make sure that their healthcare requirements are up to date. Also, make sure all other pets in the house have had their shots before introducing a new play mate for them. Viruses spread fast and can become costly.

It seems like every year there is some type of salmonella scare. Whether it is found in poultry, fish, or other foods, the bacterium infects almost 1,400,000 U.S citizens each year. Now, Americans need to worry about more than just what they are eating, it is time to worry about their pets becoming infected as well. Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall of the Diamond Natural Lamb Meal & Rice as the product might have been contaminated with salmonella. According to the company, only this line of products has been affected, all other still being safe for our loved pets.

The product was distributed to 12 states, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. However, the company believes that the product might have been distributed to other states as well through pet food channels.

I think that pretty much everyone who lives in the north east can agree that winter bypassed us this year. Some of us loved the warm temperatures and lack of snow shoveling, while others are disappointed at the lack of snow and worried about the current climate conditions. Is this a new trend? Are we to never have a white Christmas again? As a dog owner I have to say I loved this winter. It was never too cold to take my pet out for walks, I never had to shovel snow so he can go to the bathroom, all was well. Right now though, I wish this winter had been “normal”. Why? Because it turns out a warm winter brings early ticks. And this means problems for my dog and for me.

Tick season should not yet be in full force. Usually, the peak of tick season comes around May. However, many pet owners have already seen adult black-legged ticks on their pets. Paul Curtis, professor of natural sciences at Cornell University is one of those pet owners. He has seen adult ticks around his house mid-March. Usually, around this time of the year eggs barely begin to hatch. Adult ticks should be nowhere in sight.

In my previous blog I stated what it means to be allergic to your pet, or your housemate’s pet, and shared a few facts about this condition. As promised, this blog will focus on causes, symptoms, diagnostic, and treatment of pet allergies. (A link to my previous blog can be found at the bottom of the page)

So let me jump right into it… Causes: the immune system’s job is to protect us from harmful viruses and diseases. In people with pet allergies, the immune system is more sensitive than in people without the allergies. What this means is that the immune system reacts to perfectly harmless proteins that can be found in the pet’s dander, saliva, or urine. The proteins that cause the allergic reaction are called allergens.

Have any of you been in this situation? You move in with someone new and all of a sudden you both realize your roommate is allergic to your pet? This happened to me last year. I have an amazing, sweet, and gentle cat. His only flaw is actually my fault, I spoil my pets. All my friends love him and he is very friendly. Sounds like the best pet, right?!? It turns out my new roommate did not seem to agree. Immediately after moving in together my roommate’s eyes started being perpetually watery and he seemed to never stop sneezing. To be honest I hoped it was the flu (not very nice of me, I know). Turns out, he is allergic to cats. And at this point in time is where the arguments between the two of us started.

His family never had any pets so I guess he did not understand what my pet means to me. He kept asking me to get rid of it like it was nothing. He said I could give him to my parents to look after, or a friend, or my sister. Would you give your baby up?! No, I did not think so, and neither would I. Obviously I could not just sit there doing nothing so the two of us started doing research online to try and fix our little problem. We found quite a bit of information on the topic and this is what I will be sharing with you in my next few blogs. This first blog is more of a pet allergy overview and another one will follow shortly with treatment options and advice from my personal story.