THE GERMAN SHEPHERD SENTINEL
APRIL 2004 - NEWSLETTER OF THE
GSDC OF GREATER RALEIGH
Pat Embrey, Newsletter Editor
P.O. Box 98172, Raleigh, NC 27624-8172
PH: 919-934-6232, E-Mail: VonRillca@aol.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Board Policy on Dogs at Club Sponsored Events
2. April Meeting Information
3. OFA Pedigree Information
4. Wisdom About Dogs and Life
5. Microchipping Alert
6. Our Spring Show Information
7. Meeting of the NC House Committee on Unwanted and Abandoned Pets
8. NC Veterinary School Emergency Room Services
9. Proheart 6
10. Brag Box
11. A Dogs View of Obedience
BOARD POLICY ON DOGS AT CLUB SPONSORED EVENTS
The GSDC of Greater Raleigh welcomes your German Shepherd at our events, including meetings. However, the following rules must be followed:
1. Anyone with an aggressive dog (one that growls, snaps, or is in any way aggressive towards other dogs or people) must be muzzled.
2. Dogs will be free of loose hair and external parasites (fleas or ticks). Please brush your dog prior to bringing it to the meeting as we must clean up the room after we are finished.
3. For the safety of all members, guests and their dogs, it is strongly recommended that all dogs be kept up to date on their vaccinations. ALL dogs that are old enough, MUST have a current rabies shot.
APRIL MEETING INFORMATION
The April meeting will be a recap of our Show Information and general socialization with the dogs. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough for us to hold part of the meeting outside. Everyone who has any bills from the shows, PLEASE bring them to this meeting so Sarah can get the books closed before she goes on her trip next month.
Marcia Requa will be bringing refreshments.
OFA PEDIGREE INFORMATION
For those of you who are not aware of the OFA website, they now have pedigrees on any dogs that have OFA numbers. Their website is www.offa.org. Check it out.
The Following Article was sent to me by our member Edie Braginton. She got this from the internet.
MICROCHIPPING ALERT
The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) and the Denver Area Veterinary Medical Society (DAVMS) would like to inform members of a current animal welfare issue. In February 2004, Banfield Pet
Hospitals began implanting a 134-kHz microchip which CANNOT be read by scanners currently used by most veterinarians and animal care and control professionals.
The AVID and HomeAgain microchips used in the U.S. operate on a 125-kHz frequency, and the manufacturers of these chips have distributed scanners widely so that the chips can be read (or at least detected, in some cases due to AVID's encrypted technology) with one scanner. However, the scanners used to detect AVID and HomeAgain chips CANNOT read or detect the presence of the 134-kHz chips currently being implanted at Banfield pet hospitals. Thus, should a pet that has been chipped with the 134-kHz chip become lost, that animal may not be
able to be reunited with its owner, and could be adopted out or euthanized, depending on shelter circumstances. Pet owners are paying for a procedure with the expectation that it will provide peace of mind about the return of their lost animal, but in reality this is not the case.
The 134-kHz chip from Banfield is compliant with the International Standards Organization (ISO) standards, and is marketed as the new gold standard in permanent identification. CVMA and DAVMS leadership believe, while it may be desirable to transition microchip technology in the U.S. towards international ISO standards, it is
irresponsible for any business to introduce a microchip that, because of its frequency, cannot be detected by the scanners currently in place throughout much of the U.S. CVMA and DAVMS leadership believe that a responsible product introduction must include widespread distribution of an effective scanner BEFORE new chips are implanted in animals. While Banfield has distributed some scanners, it has not been a robust or effective effort - nor did it address the veterinary requirement for scanners. According to Crystal Imports, the distributor of the chipping
technology being sold by Banfield, approximately 600 scanners have been distributed to shelters nationwide. CVMA and DAVMS leadership estimate the number of scanners needed to saturate the shelter community in Colorado alone is approximately 1,200. This figure does not include Colorado veterinarians. Even if Banfield distributes sufficient numbers of scanners for their chips it would still result in a situation where veterinarians and
shelter personnel would have to scan an animal twice with two different scanners. CVMA and DAVMS leadership believe a one- scan "universal scanner" with open technology (no encryption) is the only solution to this problem.
"We know that the Metro Denver Shelter Alliance, the Humane Society of the United States and PET SMART have all asked Banfield pet hospitals to temporarily stop implanting microchips until this issue can be resolved," says Jed Rogers, DVM, chair of the DAVMS Animal Issues Committee. "As of today, there has been no response from Banfield."
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has taken a lead in public awareness on this issue, and disseminated a news release late last week to media around the country. American Humane has also just put out a press release. Please see below for a link to each. HSUS has also sent a letter to all microchip manufacturers, inviting them to a summit to discuss the creation of a universal scanner, among other topics. Despite the fact that a mutual agreement at such a summit would be simple and necessary element, because each of the companies involved has competitive and strategic issues in the microchip market, a definitive resolution may be difficult to reach. If the microchip technology issues cannot be resolved at the summit, other approaches must be identified, including a possible moratorium on implanting microchips. In Colorado, both CVMA and DAVMS are aligned with the animal care and control community on this issue. The leadership of the veterinary organizations believes it is not the responsibility of the animal care and control community - or the veterinarian - to resolve this issue.
That responsibility belongs to the commercial companies who benefit financially from the sale of microchips.
The news releases from HSUS and American Humane are likely to precipitate questions from consumers and requests for more information from members of the media. For the press release from HSUS, please use the following link: http://65.61.158.165/ace/20788
For the press release from American Humane please use the following link:
http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nr_news_releases_ microchips
If you are contacted by any representative of the media please contact Ralph Johnson or Scott Piper at the CVMA/DAVMS office at 303-318-0447.
We can provide background information, important message points, and training on how to respond to media questions. We also have trained veterinarians adept at handling any media inquiries at our disposal, if you are not comfortable addressing questions.
SPRING SHOW INFORMATION
Well, our Spring shows are over for another year, and I must say I am glad they are finished. Anyone who is not involved in the shows has no idea of the coordinated effort it takes from the members to put these shows on. We had a wonderful Obedience entry, mainly because of the efforts of Jane Wall, and hopefully we will have just as good of an entry next year. We are so glad to see the Obedience building up again, as for awhile we were down to only a couple of entries, and this year we had about 20. This is a great accomplishment. All our dogs should be well versed in dog sports including just being companions and being great pets.
Gwen Testa picked up our Sunday obedience judge from the airport and Bill Pfeiffer took him back to the airport after the shows. Many thanks to both of them. Thanks to Ralph Mason for coming in on Saturday and mowing the grass in the rings, and with Frank, Sherwood, Jane and Lou working on getting the rings set up, we were able to start our shows on time..
We received several nice letters from people who had entered our Conformation shows as to the friendliness and helpfulness of our members, and that is always good to hear.
If I forgot to thank any of our members who helped out, please forgive me, because all your efforts are very much appreciated and you have MANY THANKS FROM ME and all the club officers and board
NEXT MEETING OF THE HOUSE COMMITTEE ON THE PROPOSED BILL
ON THE
PREVENTION AND DISPOSITION OF UNWANTED AND ABANDONED COMPANION ANIMALS.
The next meeting of the NC House Interim Committee on Proposed Bill on Prevention and Disposition of Unwanted and Abandoned Companion Animals in North Carolina will convene on April 6 at 10:00 AM. Sherwood Brantley, our President, will be attending and reporting back to us. If any other members or guests would be interested in attending. This meeting will be held in Room 544 of the Legislative Office Building, 16 West Jones Street, Raleigh.,
NC STATE VETERINARY SCHOOL EMERGENCY SERVICES
Media Contacts:
Dr.ChrisKonvalinka, 919/513-6182
Greg Thomas, News Services, 919/515-3470March 29, 2004
NC State Vet School Offers After-Hours Emergency Services
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAccidents and injuries don’t always happen when your veterinarian’s office is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. That’s one of the reasons why the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is opening its after-hours Small Animal Emergency Service to the public.
The current referral-based emergency service is being expanded to increase educational opportunities for veterinary students and to provide the public with the specialized veterinary care offered by the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.
Drs. Chris Konvalinka and Alan Feimster, both graduates of the College of Veterinary Medicine, have been hired to create the full-scale emergency service, which will operate from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and on weekends from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. Monday.
“After 5 o’clock, at least one and sometimes as many as three emergency veterinarians will be on duty, along with several technicians, and eventually senior veterinary students,” Konvalinka said. “The main goal of this is to train the veterinary students. Currently, the vet school students see many cases, but they don’t always see the kind of cases that best train vet students in emergency care.”
Hospital administrator Jim Brawley said, “Based on conversations with veterinarians and people in the community, they’d like to have access to the resources at NC State – including neurologists, orthopedists, surgeons and cardiologists, as well as all the cutting-edge diagnostic equipment.”
A number of local veterinarians have agreed to put the new Small Animal Emergency Services phone number on their overnight answering services, and brochures have been printed for both pet owners and local veterinarians outlining how the service works and how to make contact in the event of an emergency.
“Our goal from the beginning is to be complementary to the veterinary practices in the area that are open during the day. Many of our cases won’t need to be admitted to the hospital or require specialized care, so after treatment, you may be able to go home with your pet, or go back to your regular vet for follow-up care,” Konvalinka said. “I think it’s going to be a good working relationship between the College of Veterinary Medicine and veterinarians in the community.”Small animal owners in need of emergency veterinary care can call the Small Animal Emergency Service at 919/513-6911. The service will operate from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 5 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. on Monday. No appointment is needed, but calling ahead allows the veterinarians to prepare for your arrival.
The Small Animal Emergency Service is located within the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine at the corner of Hillsborough Street and Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh.
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PROHEART 6
Watch This Report
Could your pet be in danger? An I-Team investigation Mar 1, 2004 8:45 pm Could your pet be in danger? I-team reporter Joe Bergantino investigates Joanne Plumer treats all of her dogs like members of the family. So she immediately noticed something was wrong with her 13-year-old dog named April Joanne Plumer: "She couldn't stand up any more, she couldn't eat, her Mouth was full of blisters, her fur was falling out It all started the day after April got a shot of this heartworm medication called Proheart 6. Three weeks later, April had to be put to sleep Joanne Plumer: "We were devastated with April. We were totally devastated with April. She was my baby Within a few weeks, Joanne's other dog, 10-year-old Cuji, also treated with Proheart 6 got very sick. Cuji died three months after getting her shotJoanne Plumer: "She went completely blind. Then you know, she started coughing and coughing and she couldn't catch her breath and we checked her out and she had complete kidney failure. “ These are not isolated cases Our I-Team investigation has found that in the past two and a half years the FDA has received more than four thousand reports of dogs getting sick after getting a shot of Proheart six. And more than four hundred dogs have died nationwide. The FDA says it's been able to link Proheart six to a small percentage of those cases. But even those numbers are, in the FDA's words, "a cause for concern", and the agency is investigating In fact, the FDA has twice told the makers of Proheart 6 to change its labeling. Most recently, asking the company to add that there have been rare reports of death. Dr. Bob Rogers: "I think this is just the tip of the iceberg Veterinarian Bob Rogers wonders why the FDA has not taken the drug off the market.<The FDA's answer: it believes the medication could potentially save the lives of more dogs than it harms But Dr. Rogers disagrees. Dr. Bob Rogers: "I have seen veterinary drugs pulled off the market when there were less deaths involved than this. As for the manufacturer of Proheart 6, a company called fort dodge animal health, it declined an on-camera interview but released this statement saying Millions of U.S. dogs have benefited from the heartworm protection provided by Proheart The reports submitted to the FDA represent a fraction of 1% of the total doses sold. And the product has been proven to be safe. Donna Sadoski doesn't believe that. Her eleven-year-old dog Sammy went blind after getting a shot of Proheart Donna Sadoski: "I wonder how many animals will be put to sleep? How many animals will have life threatening problems they will have to deal with for the rest of their lives before someone stops this medicine from actually being given to them The makers of Proheart 6 say they do not believe their heartworm medication caused Donna's and Joanne's dogs to get sick.
But the FDA continues to investigate, at this point asking the company tofind out if there are any impurities in the drug's formula that may be causing problems
If your dog becomes ill after being treated with Proheart 6, you shouldreport it to the FDA's center for veterinary medicine. The number to call is 1-888-fda-vets. Or visit their website at www.fda.gov
BRAG BOX
Congratulations to Frank Sanders and his lovely homebred champion, Ghostbuster of Fran-San. Buster finished his championship down at the Atlanta shows. Many congratulations!!!!
CONFORMATION AT OUR SHOWS
Bill Pfeiffer got a 3rd place ribbon on Friday and a 4th place ribbon on Saturday in American Bred Dogs with Panther, and a 2nd place on Friday and 3rd place on Saturday in Open Dogs with his Cowboy.
Deeda got a second place ribbon with her Darlin Clementine on Friday and Saturday.
Jane got a 1st place ribbon with Barra on Friday.
OBEDIENCE AT OUR SHOWS
John Pye got a qualifying score on his Demon Diva on Saturday in Novice B.
Jane Wall got a leg on her Mindy Vom Waldenhaus in Open A. She also got a passing score in her Brace entry with Mindy and Heavy.
Sherwood Brantley’s Lotte got a 189 in Veterans Obedience, with Vicky Brown’s Reba getting a 195 for First Place in Veterans Obedience. The same thing happened on Saturday, with Lotte getting a 186 ½ and Reba getting a 193 ½. To enter Veterans Obedience, your dog must be over 7 years of age.
On Saturday, Sherwood’s Lotte got her first leg in Open A.
Then on to Rally Obedience with our members and their dogs getting 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
I only wish I could have gotten over to the Obedience ring, but as it was being adequately looked after with Jane, Sherwood, and Gwen, I thought I better stay over at Conformation trying to keep that part of the show moving properly.
Congratulations to all of our members who participated and won placings at our shows.
A DOG’S VIEW OF OBEDIENCE
I've got a headache.
I'm not deaf, I'm ignoring you.
I never heard that command before today.
My handler's having an off day
You want me to jump how high?
You want me to jump how high?
Let's sit the handlers in the sun for three minutes and we'll hide in the shade
But I told her/him I had to go for a walk.
People with clipboard make me nervous.
My handler was standing on my tail
Mother told me there would be days like this; she went to obedience trials, too
Does OTCH stand for "Our turn, chumps"?
Cats don't have to do obedience, and they still get fed.
If you wanted the dumbbell, why did you throw it away?
My handler doesn't like to work when it's too hot or too cold
Even when the handlers flunk, they still blame the dogs.
So you signed the check and mailed the entries.... Ha-Ha!
Whether they win or lose, dogs are always good sports.
My handler is ring-wise; she knows she cant correct me.
My handler doesn't know his right from his left.
If handlers are so smart, why cant they do scent discrimination?
Dogs need 2 left feet; handlers should have only one.
My handler gets bored heeling, so I never get to practice.
You'd think by now she'd know how to throw the dumbbell
The devil made me do it.
Well that will be all the information in The Sentinel this month. Please put your heads together and come up with some good programs for us to have at the meetings for the remainder of the year. Hope to see all of you at this meeting on Wednesday.
THE EDITOR ATTHE COMPUTER
And
Pat
