Can My Dog or Cat Catch the Swine Flu?

All of this crazy "pandemic" stuff has been a little unsettling, especially since cold and flu season hasn't even begun. We are all used to using extra precautions when we hear a cough or sneeze, especially when we don't know that much about the illness OR its vaccination. But what about our pets... Can they catch the flu? If a pig can carry this virus, can my dog or cat catch the Swine flu? Dr. Eric Barchas, DVM weighs in (Courtesy of Dogster Vetblog).

"Swine flu, also known as H1N1 influenza, has been dominating the news recently. The viral strain appears set to cause the first influenza pandemic in a generation. Influenza pandemics are big deals. The pandemic of 1918-1920 caused more people to die from flu than from bullets or bombs during World War One.

Influenza viruses are known for infecting multiple species–as the name would imply, swine flu developed in pigs and then spread to people.

This may lead pet owners to wonder: can cats and dogs catch swine flu?
The answer appears to be no. DVM Newsmagazine reports that there is no evidence cats or dogs can contract, carry, spread, or suffer illness from H1N1 influenza. H1N1 influenza has been isolated from a ferret. Fortunately at this time there is no evidence that ferrets can spread the disease to people.

Although it appears we can rest easy about our cats and dogs catching swine flu, remember that cats are susceptible to an even scarier form of influenza: bird flu (also known as H5N1). Cats contract bird flu by preying upon or being fed raw bird meat. The virus does not appear capable of spreading from cat to cat. That is a good thing, since the fatality rate among cats infected with H5N1 appears to be 100%.

Fortunately, it is easy to protect your cat from H5N1. If you feed your cat commercial or cooked food and keep him indoors, his chances of catching bird flu are nil."

There are strains of colds and flu that dogs can contract, so if your dog is coughing or wheezing, don't hesitate to make an appointment with your vet and weigh out your options on vaccinations and prevention.

It's Birthday Time!

It's 9/1/09 and that means LaDeDog! is celebrating another birthday!! We are popping the bubbly and tying up the balloons... and although we are not back in our little shop on the Columbia, we can certainly celebrate with an online sale!

Come visit our webstore through Labor Day & checkout with coupon code 919 to enjoy a 20% discount storewide!

We thank everybody for the birthday wishes and hope to continue on with our boutique for many more birthdays to come! :-)

I want that!

Is it just me, or does all of this news about Paris Hilton's Pooch Pad make your heart go pitter-pat? ... okay, it's probably just me. I have to say, the very mention of PH makes me scramble for the remote, but I sat mesmerized while watching her tour the expansive crib.

This $325,000 two-story doghouse is fashioned as an Italian Villa, adorned with wrought iron and elegant lighting. The downstairs living room was over-filled with designer beds and toys (among those, the Haute Diggity Dog, Chewy Vuitton beds & Dog Perignon items which also can be found at LaDeDog!) Dripping elegantly from the ceiling, a chandelier and winding its way up to the second floor, a spiral staircase -- All presented by Faye Resnick, interior decorator, who designed the mini-mansion to resemble Hilton's own home, which includes heating & air conditioning and miniature Philippe Starck furniture.


The upstairs housed the pooches' wardrobes full of doggie couture (of which Paris Hilton's designer pet brand 'Little Lily' hang as well, you can bet), and I am sure they have a lovely view of the pool from that sweet little balcony, or that comfy picnic table - lol.


Hilton uploaded pictures to her Twitter status as she tweeted, "I may have spoiled them a little too much. But how can I not? Just look at those sweet lil' faces, they deserve to be treated like my lil' prince and princesses :) I love my babies." Yes.... I kinda have to agree there.... and if I had the money, I would probably do the same.



This is a bit of a slap in the face to those who lost their entire lively-hoods during the crash of our markets, but it never hurts to dream. I never thought I would want to live as a dog, but if there were a way to come back & join Paris Hilton's pack of 14 pets, I think I would believe in reincarnation ;-)

Location, Location, Location

We are finally settled into our new home in California, and beginning our search for the perfect retail location for LaDeDog! This is going to be a long process, because drawing off of experience, location is everything.

There are so many beautiful areas along the Southern California Coast, and we are taking our time studying the demographics of each community and street. It is still up in the air where we will end up, but I am positive that once we make our decision, it will be a perfect fit!

It will be yet another week or two before the website is fully up and running again, but I will continue to update the blog and networks with new information as we wait for our transition to be complete.

This is an amazing place we have here - warm sun, relaxing atmosphere, and beaches full of smiling faces... It's great to be back in sunny California!

Road Trip!

To our most precious and valued customers,

If you have been following LaDeDog! during the past six months, you have surely noticed our lack of presence on our blog posts and social networking. Some have expressed their concern of the fate of our website after the close of the Boutique in Astoria, but I can assure you, new horizons are just around the bend for our beloved store.

Our new horizons are full of sunshine and new ideas - we have been very busy cooking up some exciting additions to our store, which includes an entirely new location.

LaDeDog! will be relocating to California, near the beautiful shores of Santa Barbara. Until our re-launch of the Brick and Mortar Shop, we will continue serving our customers through the web store at http://www.ladedog.net/ . The web store, however, will be temporarily closed from July 6th through July 12th do to inventory and hiring for the new shipping department.

We sincerely appreciate your love and support through our transitions, and look forward to this new endeavor in our lives.

Sincerely,

Roxy, Renee & Tony Weatherford

Those funny little markings...

I thought this was a great article from the Happytails website & a good one for the summer months, as our dogs spend more time outside in the sun. I often wonder, as I notice little freckles or new markings appear on Roxy:



"What are those freckles/blotches/liver spots on my dog’s tummy?



It’s nice to sit with your dog, and give him a rub on the belly, but when you see blotches and spots on his tummy skin, it can give you a fright. You probably have no idea what they are, and you may not know how long they’ve been there. In many cases, these blotches are quite normal, and may be present from birth. Some dogs develop dark patches on their skin as they get older. They aren’t itchy or scaly, the skin isn’t thickened and they don’t cause the dog any harm at all. There’s no need to worry about these, unless your dog is losing hair in these patches. This usually indicates there’s a problem, such as an infection, that needs attention.

Join the dots! By far the most common cause of darkening of a dog’s skin is irritation and trauma from licking or scratching. If the blotches have appeared suddenly, it may be an allergic reaction. Dogs can react to plants or insect bites, which may cause multiple blotches and welts to develop on the tummy skin. They may then scratch at the welts, which can make their skin worse. You’ll find that Itchin’ For Relief will help stop the itch and soothe the inflammation, and help to return the skin to normal.

Dogs can also develop a bacterial infection on their tummy, either with or without an allergy. The blotches from a bacterial infection tend to be round, and they often have a crust around the edge. They’re very itchy, and again, the scratching may lead to dark patches on the tummy skin. These dogs usually need antibiotics from their vet to get the infection under control and stop the itching.

You do need to treat inflamed skin very gently. Comfy Dog shampoo contains colloidal oatmeal , and herbal extracts which will relieve the itch, and make your dog more comfortable. After the shampoo. slather Fur Butter on his skin and coat. Leave it on for five minutes, then rinse thoroughly. This too contains colloidal oatmeal and will help heal dry and itchy skin."


Happy Tails Spa is a WONDERFUL product that produces a fine array of shampoos, skin treatments and a wide variance of spa gifts for your furry friends.

LaDeDog! Mother's Day Special!

Any order of $25 or more through May 16th qualifies for a free engraved I.D. Tag! Choose from any of 3 sizes, 8 designs & 3 colors of our beautifully designed inlaid enamel over stainless steel (a $13.00 value).

After placing your order, send us your dog's name, and choice of address, phone number or both to ladedog@msn.com with the word CHARM in the subject line. Visit our direct link HERE to explore the many choices & place your order today!

Happy Mother's Day!