Have you already started thinking about your holiday shopping?  Is online shopping your favorite way to beat the crowds?  If so, consider one of these options as a way to help American Greyhound at no cost to you!

iGive 

Every time you shop at any of the 1,700+ online stores in the iGive network, a portion of the money you spend benefits American Greyhound. It's a free service, and you'll never pay more when you reach a store through iGive. Just make sure to start your shopping through the iGive website.  From the iGive website, you will then go to the websites of the stores where you would like to shop.  You must go to the iGive website first in order for your purchases to benefit American Greyhound.  There is also an iGive app that can be downloaded to your phone or tablet as well.  To get started, just create your free iGive account and Start iGiving at:  www.iGive.com/americangreyhound

Does your office buy supplies through Staples, Quill or Office Max?  All these stores are part of the iGive stores and their donations range from 1.2% to 1.6% of your purchase.  I recently made hotel reservations for a business trip through iGive.  The benefit to American Greyhound was 1.6% of my hotel bill at a Hampton Inn.  I purchased some greyhound pictures through iGive and  Art.com and my purchased earned 4.8%.

Amazon Smiles

When you need to shop on Amazon, shop thru Amazon Smiles ( https://smile.amazon.com).  You must choose American Greyhound as the cause you are supporting in order for American Greyhound to receive the benefit earned from your purchases.  You will not pay anything more for your purchases to shop through Amazon Smiles and American Greyhound will receive a percentage of the amount you spend.

Together we can raise money for American Greyhound without spending anything we wouldn't already be spending. And isn't that a gift in itself? 

A dog was recently returned, with her folder chocked full of vet records, due to her owner's declining health. Inside that folder was a sheet that I found very interesting and wanted to share that information with all of you.

 

Zoonotic Disease is a disease that can be transmitted from animals to people or more specifically, a disease that normally exists in animals but can infect humans.

 

Intestinal parasites are diagnosed by having a fresh stool sample, about the size of a milk dud, examined under a microscope by your vet. This should always be done as part of their regular yearly health exam and vaccinations. If parasites are found in your pet's stool sample, a dewormer will be prescribed and most parasites require two treatments, three weeks apart.  Stool samples should be checked again four to eight weeks later to ensure your pet is not being re-infested by his environment and fecal matter needs to be regularly disposed of to help prevent re-infestation also.

 

To help you better understand the serious problems internal parasites can cause and what signs to look for here is a short description of the six most common types in dogs in general, especially in our beloved greys.

 

ROUNDWORMS  are the most common type of intestinal worm. They are 2-4 inches long and resemble thin strands of spaghetti. They live in the small intestine, and may cause vomiting, diarrhea or weight loss. Larval worms also damage the live and lungs while migrating through these organs on their way to the small intestine.    Roundworms are transmitted via stools from other infected dogs or cats.    Entire worms can sometimes be seen in the stools or vomit of infested animals.

 

HOOKWORMS  are half inch long worms that attach to the lining of the small intestine, causing blood loss and diarrhea.   Animals acquire hookworms through skin contact with the stools from infected animals.

 

WHIPWORMS  live in the large intestine.    They are not as common as the other intestinal parasites but the disease they cause is very very serious. Bloody diarrhea and weight loss are the first symptoms seen.    Once in the outside world, the eggs require two to four weeks to form embryos and become capable of infecting a new host. That means contaminated soil is the source of infection, not fresh feces. Soil contaminated by whipworm eggs is contaminated for years.    It is virtually impossible to remove the eggs from the soil or be assured all are killed, so prevention is the best way to avoid whipworms.

 

TAPEWORMS  live in the small intestine, where the head attaches to the intestinal wall and produces a chain of segments.   Mature segments containing eggs are then passed with the stool, or may be seen around your pet's rectum and these segments resemble small grains of rice. They may be acquired by the ingestion of rodents or birds or most commonly through the ingestion of fleas. Flea control is essential to control tapeworm infestation.

 

COCCIDIA  are one celled protozoal parasites, more like bacteria rather than "worms"    They are treated with antibiotics rather than dewormers.

 

GIARDIA  are also protozoans. These are very difficult to pick up on a regular fecal check. Antibiotics or special dewormers kill them but they are difficult to eradicate completely and often flare up with stress or other intestinal problems.    They are contagious to humans and cause vomiting and diarrhea in both people and pets.

 

This is why it is very important to take deworming your pet very seriously and as listed here over and over, prevention is the best way to protect your pets.  Jeff and I have been doing greyhound rescue going on 20 years now and have dealt with each of these diseases with the over 200 fosters that have graced Casa de Coggins. I learned a lot from this sheet of paper and thought maybe you all would too.

 

If you want more information on Zoonotic diseases, visit www.cdc.gov