scalp0610 5.p65 - Toronto Academy of Veterinary Medicine

TheScalpel
TAVM Honorary Lifetime
member passes away
Dr. Ken Easton, Class of O.V.C ’58,
passed away peacefully on September
18, with his wife, Marita, above,
holding his hand. He was pre-deceased
by Barbara May, mother of their children, Bambi, Paul and Kim. Ken will be
especially missed by devoted puppy
dog, Clintus Minimus, and the cats. Ken
ran a housecall service for companion
animals and was known to appear on an
emergency response in the middle of the
night. He lived life fully and worked
very hard, enjoying a slice of pie and
coffee with clients along the way.
Veterinary life was his passion, pushing
for amendment to Bill C-50, and ethical
treatment of animals. Ken encouraged
all to look upon our role as
“guardians to” rather than owners of
our pets. He will be missed by friends
old, and new.
Volume 22, #7 October 2006
Fall Fashion Issue
TorontoAcademy of Veterinary Medicine Newsletter
5$
Hand puppets? No. Ms. Lyne Boire-Weinburg models the latest in faux fur
fashion for those one-pound dogs who never seem to have anything to
wear. Ms. Boire-Weinburg’s booth was featured at the recent PIJAC show.
I attended the PIJAC national pet industry
trade show for three hours on Sunday,
September 17th. This show runs Sunday and
Monday because Saturday is the pet retail
industry’s biggest moneymaker. The
Toronto International Centre was hosting
only one other event, so parking was a
breeze. And free.
My first stop was the Harz Mountain
booth where I spoke with Mr. Carter
Rudman, Business Development manager.
Harz was pushing their new product, Chew
Dent, a flavour-infused, long lasting rawhide.
Because they’re infused rather than coated,
Chew Dents apparently don’t leak dyes
when dogs chew them. This could be an
issue with carpets and couches. These
Brazilian-made rawhides are individually
wrapped to help protect against salmonella,
and come in a variety of sizes.
The Harz Mountain booth was an anomaly
Article continues on page 3
October 2006 Page 1
SPECIALTY, EMERGENCY AND CRITICAL CARE
INTERNAL MEDICINE/ONCOLOGY
Alan Norris, DVM, DACVIM
Doug Mason, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM
Kevin Finora, DVM, DACVIM
Dawn Martin, DVM, DACVIM
SURGERY
Craig Miller, DVM, MVSc, DACVS
Tom Gibson, DVM, DACVS
Devon Boyd, DVM
NEUROLOGY
Susan Cochrane, MSc, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM (Neuro)
Debbie James, DVM, DACVIM (Neuro)
CARDIOLOGY
Regan Williams, VMD, DACVIM (Card)
Jean-Paul Petrie, DVM, DACVIM (Card)
DENTISTRY
Sharon French, DVM, Fellow AVD
DERMATOLOGY
Jocelyn Wellington, DVM, DACVD
CRITICAL CARE
Dawn Crandell, DVM, DACVECC
I-131 RADIOIODINE THERAPY
Barb Bryer, DVM, RSO (Radiation Safety Officer)
Laura Coutie, RVT, RSO
ANESTHESIOLOGY & PAIN MANAGEMENT (Incl. Acupuncture)
Glenn Pettifer, DVM, DVSc, DACVA
ANIMAL REHAB CENTRE
Craig Miller, DVM, MVSc, DACVS
Tracy McKenzie, RVT
VEC practitioners utilize state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment including:
Ultrasound, Myelography, Radiography, CT Scan, Lab Testing & local off-site MRI
E M E R G E N C Y
S E R V I C E S
South Clinic
North Clinic
920 Yonge St.
280 Sheppard Ave. East
24 hours, 7-days a week
*Also Referral, ICU & I-131
7pm - 8am week nights
24 hrs, weekends & holidays
(416) 920-2002
(416) 226-3663
www.VEC toronto.com
If pink is not your clients’ colour,
then this year’s second most popular
colour choice is camouflage. This
faux fur-trimmed parka is from the
Minimode Collection.
in this aisle, whose majority of booths were
devoted to fashion. My next stop was a
Québec company, the Mini Mode Collection,
where I spoke to the owner, Ms. Lyne BoireWeinburg. La présidente was keen to show
off her latest collection of pet clothing and
accessories out of New York. She had
darling little pink faux fur outfits, with some
leather jackets that doubled as dog
harnesses. Less foufou pet owners for whom
pink is not an option of expression can find
these dog jackets and accessories in
camouflage. Now the range from pink from
camouflage seemed extreme to me, but this
year’s haute dog fashion colours are pink,
pink, and pinker, with just a soupçon of
camouflage. Many of these dog jackets are
for dogs under size 5 (less than 5 pounds).
The material was genuine leather, with fuzzy
faux fur dyed pink. All these handmade
pieces looked like human clothing made for a
dog. The clothing seemed to have that
French look to it, but shouldn’t that be the
case with all high fashion? It goes without
saying that these products are not
inexpensive, but they are definitely beautiful.
See them for yourself at
www.minimodecollection.com. Ms. BoireWeinburg also noted that many vet clinics in
New York City and Québec will retail pet
clothing. But she found this was rarely the
case in Ontario and other parts of the United
States.
The owner of Toronto-based Jupie
Couture, Ms. Colleen Ostoforoff, was only
too happy to show me her wide range of dog
couture clothing, from eveningwear to ski
jackets. This collection didn’t have that
French look to it, but the clothing was still
very well made. Colleen says that she
Mr. Carter Rudman was only too
happy to talk about the attributes of
Harz’s ChewDent dog chew.
dresses her own dogs for family dinner
parties, and that’s why everybody should
buy eveningwear for their dog. View her
fashion line at www.jupiecouture.com.
I passed by some food companies without
stopping. When it comes to research, some
of them don’t even own a dog, and they’ve
run out of superlatives for naming their
products. Of greater interest to vets were two
items from The Good Pet Stuff Company.
Item #1 is the Travellin’ Dog Car Harness.
“Blast”, the miniature poodle, gets
sparkly at the Pastels for Pets booth.
Her owner, Ms. Gabi Miholics, seems
equally delighted with the results.
Ms. Colleen Ostoforoff shows us two
evening gowns from her Jupie
Couture collection.
This body harness attaches your dog to a
seat belt. Similar harnesses are on the market,
but I liked this one’s large fleece chest pad
and the way it easily attaches to seat belts. It
looked very easy and convenient to use.
Item #2 is for small dog owners who always
say that their dog can’t see out the window
when it’s attached to the seat belt. It’s the
Travellin’ Dog Pet Seat. This booster seat for
your dog attaches just like a baby’s booster
seat. You attach your dog to it with a smaller
version of the body harness. The seat is
padded with fleece, and has adjustable legs
that can detach to accommodate the size of
your dog. It also features an in-seat storage
space, and detachable food and water bowls
with lids. I thought these were really good
products for all those people who just let
dogs run around the car while driving,
oblivious of the dangers to themselves, the
dog, and other motorists.
Good Pet Stuff has two cat products also
worth mentioning. The Pavlov’s Cat Scratch
feeder is an interactive treat and food
dispenser for cats. Cats pull down on the
scratching post, causing it to release food
pellets into a bowl. The desired behavior of
scratching the post (not furniture) rewards
the cat with a treat. The second cat product
is the Hidden Litter litter box. It’s a fake
planter and plant. The base is open on one
side where the cat can enter. The top half can
be removed for cleaning. It’s fairly large, at
Article continues on next page
October 2006 Page 3
contined from previous page
20 inches diameter, and 29 inches high. This
would be a good idea for all those people
who say they couldn’t have more than one
litter box because they couldn’t stand to see
it in the living room, den or whatever. The
Good Pet Stuff Company can be reached at
www.goodpetstuff.com.
Across from Good Pet Stuff was a large,
sprawling exhibit of Freedom Pet supplies, a
distributor of pet food, clothing, small animal
habitats, cages, pet food, leashes, and
accessories. The first item I looked at was an
“activewear” fleece coat. This looks just like
a track suit, and made me think it was aimed
at people who are more influenced by
Britney Spears’ current casual look than
Paris Hilton’s haute couture. Two
interesting items for pocket pet owners
caught my eye. Both are made by SuperPet
USA. Fruity Bites are pieces of wood
molded into fruit shapes and dyed. for your
gnaw on. It’s to make your hamster, gerbil, or
mouse look like it is actually gnawing on a
piece of fruit, and not just any old piece of
wood. I’m not sure what the point of that is.
The other item was a collection of plastic
furniture to change your hamster’s plain
cage into a dollhouse with a living room and
bedroom. The collection is also available for
dogs, cats, rabbits, and ferrets. Is this
anthropomorphism carried to the extreme, or
what?
A bit of comic relief was provided by my
next stop, Fat Cat Inc. This Vermont-based
family owned company aims to make people
laugh with pet toys. I had already seen one
of this company’s products: a dog chew toy
made to look like a veterinarian. Their new
product line of “political animals” has some
real hot sellers. The line’s most popular chew
toy right now is the George W. Bush chew
toy. Or for those who really want to play
politics, you can buy a Capital Hill-ary
Clinton chew toy or a reversible, doubleduty Arnold Schwarzeneggar toy. You can
hate one side where he’s a governor in a
three-piece suit, or turn him over and hate
him as an action character in camouflage
pants. Political animals also come in the Kitty
Hoots line; these toys contain organic
catnip. All the toys and accessories come in
bright colours and splashy patterns. These
are fun toys, whatever your political stripe.
The invading species booth was a more
serious. The Ontario Federation of Anglers
and Hunters were working to raise
awareness of invasive species that may be
Page 4 October 2006
Pets needn’t suffer for fashion.
Dress up your dog in these very
comfortable, practical track suits.
spread by aquaria or the pet industry. As
their brochure states, aquarium and water
garden hobbyists can purchase thousands
of exotic species of aquatic invertebrates
(chiefly snails) and fish through pet stores,
by mail order, or the internet. When
accidentally or intentionally released from an
aquarium, they can become established in
lakes, rivers and wetlands with devastating
results. Mr. Cameron Proctor showed us
several jars containing such invasive species
as sea lampreys, zebra mussels, goldfish, and
oriental snails. I took a brochure.
The FouFou dog booth is the place for
designer doggieware. This Richmond Hillbased company is a wholesaler and
distributor of upscale, luxurious hand-made
apparel, accessories, and bling. You have to
see their glossy, full-colour catalog to
believe it. Just before the PIJAC show,
FouFou were showing their wares during
New York Pet Fashion Week, an event
previously unknown to me (Let’s hope
Jeannie Beker was covering the event for
future broadcast). The clothes range from
snuggles, PJs, and puffy blankets (like a
baby’s layette set) to angora turtlenecks and
babydoll dresses, to denim overalls and such
novelties as Santa suits. This company also
distributes lots of bling (or accessories, for
those who don’t want to call it that). That
includes studded barrettes, hair bows, and
collar attachments “jingly danglers” such as
studded letters, hearts, paws, doggies,
flowers, butterflies, bones, stars, and crowns.
Ms. Erin Hill of the Good Pet Stuff
Company shows off the Pavlov’s Cat
scratch feeder.
Practical items such as leashes and collars
are also available. You ensure a perfect fit by
means of the catalog’s dog sizing chart that
looks like it’s right out of a Sears Catalog.
You measure neck size, chest size and back
length, then pick the corresponding size of
clothing from xx small to xxx large. Collar sizes
range from xx small to xxxx large. I was most
interested in this company’s line of boots
and shoes. They have the Fou-Ma sneakers,
which are waterproof booties with decorative
swoosh and laces, or the fur booties which
are waterproof, fur-trimmed booties with
decorative laces and a rubber sole. A variety
of sizes and colours, of course.
If the pet bling is too much, you could
always try pastels and tattooing for pets.
Two years ago, Ms. Laara (sic) Sinclaire
combined her hairstylist expertise with her
innate love of animals to found a company
that offers pastels for pets. Ms. Sinclaire
says pastels are an affordable, fun activity to
engage owners and their pets. Dogs with
light coloured fur can get five gel colours:
green, turquoise, fuscia, violet, and pink.
Dark coloured dogs can get stencil colours:
red, blue, gold, silver, and sparkles. You can
either apply the pastel like a hair dye to the
ears, tails, paws, or you can use stencils to
apply a specific shape, word or image on
your pet’s back or sides. Ms. Sinclaire’s own
These boots and shoes from FouFou
dog may be just what your clients are
looking for this winter. View them in
full colour at www.foufoudog.com
miniature poodle had pink ears, and sported
a pink heart on its haunch that had been
applied with a stencil. It was definitely
attention-getting. We then watched as she
applied some sparkles to the ears and
topknot of a miniature poodle owned by Ms.
Gabi Miholics. It appeared to be an
enjoyable experience for both. More
information at www.pastelsforpets.com.
No one exemplified the “pink is in” factor
more than the RO-EL Group booth, a
Montréal company carrying the Sherpa line
of products whose high-quality carriers we
featured two years ago. But selling single
items is now passé. RO-EL’s pink passion
line is a complete ensemble: you get two
types of dog carrier, dog blanket, porcelain
water bowl, porcelain treat jar, leather leash,
and picture frame. Mark Dym, Vice-President
of Wholesale Operations, says that they
have focused more on selling by collection,
whether it be the passion pink collection or
the hound’s tooth collection because, after
all, they are selling a lifestyle. I had to admit
that everything was very well made. Styleconscious people with disposable income
seem to like the idea of getting an ensemble,
so maybe this is the way for the company to
go.
My last stop was at Companion Dog
Xpress, where I chatted with Mr. Paul
Ramsey about his new pet strollers. Their
new jogging stroller is a sort of all-terrain
vehicle that can carry up to 60 pounds of
dog. The smaller Happy Trails stroller carries
Article continues on page 15
Mr. Paul Ramsay, of Companion Dog
Xpress, shows off the latest models
in pet strollers, a jogging model in
blue, and a pink one, front, for more
casual strolling. Photo inset shows
the company’s EzyDog shock
absorbing leash, available in a
multitude of colours, including pink.
Have your dog relieve your american
political frustrations by biting into
these chew toys from Fat Cat Inc.
Don’t just buy a Sherpa pet carrier.
Get the whole collection. The ROEL group rep Mark Dym says the
pink collection, shown above, is a
top seller. Sherpa products were
modelled two years ago by another
RO-EL rep, Ms. Tunde Benak.
Shortly after appearing on our
cover, Ms. Benak flew to Jamaica
on a 7-day package where she met
and later married a hotel owner.
This bizarre twist of fate shows that
there is life after pet retail.
Mr. Cameron Proctor, of Ontario
Federation of Anglers and Hunters,
shows a lamprey, one of several
invasive species currently
threatening our native aquatic life.
October 2006 Page 5
Dave & Buster’s
120 Interchange Way
Thornhill, ON
905.760.7600
NEW location for TAVM
Subscription Series and
Hospital Personnel Series lectures
Visit them online at www.daveandbusters.com
Contact TAVM @ OVMA
phone
toll-free
905.875.0756 ext. 26
800.670.1702 ext. 26
mail
905.875.0958
877.482.5941
TAVM
245 Commercial Street
Milton, ON L97 2J3
fax
toll-free
website
www.tavm.org
contact
Sheri Young, ext. 12
email
info@tavm.org
hours
8:30am — 4:00pm
Page 6 October 2006
Continuing Education
Subscription Series
Tod
d R. Tams, DVM, DVSc, Dip. ACVIM
odd
VCAAntech Inc.
Update
on canine and feline
clinical gastroenterology
This seminar will provide an update on a number of
important issues in clinical gastroenterology. Tests for
accurate diagnoses (e.g., pancreatitis, Giardia, Clostridium
perfringens enterotoxicosis, IBD) and the latest
information on treatment guidelines for GI disorders will be
presented. The focus will be on disorders causing
vomiting and diarrhea, both acute and chronic. Pain
management for animals with GI disease will also be
emphasized (e.g., what should be done to control pain in
dogs with viral enteritis?, what about esophagitis-related
pain?, etc). Many clinical case examples will be
presented.
Dr. Todd Tams received his DVM degree from The Ohio State
University in 1977 and then entered into a mixed practice in
Vermont from 1977-78. He then completed an internship at the
West Los Angeles Animal Hospital in 1978-79, followed by a
residency in internal medicine at Colorado State University from
1979-81. He was a staff internist at the Angell Memorial
Animal Hospital in Boston from 1981-84, and achieved board
certification in internal medicine in 1982. Dr. Tams returned to
Los Angeles in 1984 and is now Chief Medical Officer for
Veterinary Centers of America, as well as a staff internist at the
VCA West Los Angeles Animal Hospital.
Dr. Tams was named as a Distinguished Alumnus of The
Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000.
Dr. Tams has published two textbooks:
1. Small Animal Endoscopy (Mosby), second edition
published, November 1998
2. Handbook of Small Animal Gastroenterology (W.B.
Saunders), second edition published in 2003
This lecture has been brought to you by:
Dr. Tams has presented numerous seminars in the U.S. and
abroad on his special interest area of gastroenterology.
Tuesday, OCTOBER 17, 2006
2:00 – 5:00 PM & 6:00 – 8:30 PM
Dave & Buster’s
See map
120 Interchange Way on page 6
Thornhill, Ontario
Tel: 905.760.7600
October 2006 Page 7
SEMINAR INVITATION
VITA-TECH Canada Inc invites you to an evening seminar with
Dr David Williams MA, VETMB, PhD, MRCVS, DACVIM, DECVIM-CA
VOMITING, ANOREXIA, AND DIARRHEA
IN THE DOG AND CAT
New tests for accurate diagnosis, better treatment and happier clients.
Doctors and hospital staff welcome. CE credit-approved (OAVT).
WHAT YOU WILL GET OUT OF THIS SEMINAR:
•
LOCATION & DATES
Learn why the new Spec cPL test is better than serum lipase or amylase
for diagnosing or ruling out pancreatitis.
DATE
•
Learn when the Spec cPL test should be used and why.
TIME
•
Review the key strategies for treating pets that present with vomiting,
LOCATION
anorexia and/or diarrhea.
•
Find out why dogs being treated with potassium bromide or phenobarbital
should be routinely tested for pancreatitis.
•
Discover why pancreatitis should be suspected in hard-to-manage diabetic
Markham
London
Wednesday October 25
6:30*-9:30 pm
Holiday Inn
7095 Woodbine Ave
Markham, ON
905-474-0444
Thursday October 26
6:30*-9:30 pm
Four Points Sheraton
1150 Wellington Rd S
London, ON
519-681-0600
* Light refreshments will be available from 6:00pm
dogs.
•
Find out why cats presenting with anorexia or vomiting should be tested
for cobalamin deficiency.
RSVP REQUIRED
Space is limited.
Please register by Monday October 21st.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY
Register on-line at www.vita-tech.com or
David Williams received his veterinary degree from the University of
Cambridge and his PhD from the University of Liverpool, where he first
developed the serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity assay (TLI) in the dog. He
was an intern and resident at the University of Pennsylvania, and has held
Faculty positions at the University of Florida, Kansas State University, Purdue
University, and Texas A&M University.
Dr Williams is currently Head of the Department of
Veterinary Clinical Medicine at the University of
Illinois. His research is focused on the
development and application of new tests for
gastrointestinal diseases in dogs and cats.
Recently, with his graduate student Dr Joerg
Steiner, he developed the new Canine
Pancreas-Specific Lipase assay (Spec cPL)
for identifying pancreatitis in dogs.
Dr Williams is a diplomate of both the
American and European Colleges of
Veterinary Internal Medicine.
fill out the form below and FAX to 905-475-7309
Please register me for the Dr Williams seminar at:
Markham, Wednesday, October 25
London, Thursday, October 26
Clinic name:
Clinic address:
Clinic phone: (
)
Contact email:
Please send me a reminder email a few days prior to the event.
Names of attendees:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Continuing Education
Hospital Personnel Series
Sara Ayres,
DVM, DVSc, DACVS
Simcoe Veterinary Surgical Referral
Surgical
tips and tidbits
The goal of surgery is to improve outcome while ensuring
we do no harm. It is also important to work with a wellinformed client. The focus of this seminar is to review how
to ensure the patient is prepared for surgery (bloodwork,
radiographs, preoperative fluids etc), which will maximize
the chance of a good outcome, and to ensure that aspesis
is maintained throughout surgery. Pack preparation and
instrument sterilization will be reviewed as will the
perioperative use of antibiotics and the intraoperative use
of lavage (all of this mundane stuff will be covered with fun
pictures and interesting case anecdotes). Specific techniques, such as retropulsion of urethral calculi, stabilization
of the patient with gastric dilatation-volvulus, open wound
management and stress radiography will also be addressed.
There will be a focus on surgical oncology which will
include tumour biopsy techniques, specimen preparation
(how to fit that spleen in a jar) and why chemotherapy,
radiation therapy and/or surgery is recommended for a
specific tumour. The veterinary technician is crucial in
client communication – when more complicated surgical
procedures are proposed the owner often turns to the staff
for advice as to whether to proceed. Pictures and explanations of some more complicated cases (carpal arthrodesis, total ear canal ablation, limb spare for radial osteosarcoma and mandibulectomy) will be reviewed.
This lecture has been brought to you by:
Dr. Ayres graduated from OVC in 1992. After 2
years in private practice she completed an internship and residency in small animal surgery at the
University of Guelph and stayed on as a staff
surgeon. She was boarded by the American
College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2000. In 2001
she completed a one-year fellowship in surgical
oncology at the University of Illinois.
In 2003, Dr. Ayres started a mobile surgical
referral practice north of Toronto. She has a
particular interest in advancing the surgical treatment of cancer in dogs and cats. As a sole proprietor and, initially, the sole employee of a mobile
practice she has had ample opportunity to improve
her technical skills in areas such as pack preparation and instrument sterilization.
Dr. Ayres is married, with 3 daughters (currently
8 mo, 2 and 4 yo). Her hobbies include photography, hockey, skiing, and swimming. The Ayres live
in the scenic hills of Mt St Louis in a 140 year old
stone farmhouse that came with 2 dilapidated
barns. She hopes to have sheep one day, a Border
Collie and maybe the odd horse. Her pets currently
include a yellow Lab and a retired blood donor cat.
Wednesday, OCTOBER 18, 2006
7:30 – 10:30 PM
See map
Dave & Buster’s
120 Interchange Way on page 6
Thornhill, Ontario
Tel: 905.760.7600
October 2006 Page 9
MORNINGSIDE
ANIMAL
CLINIC
MORNINGSIDE ANIMAL CLINIC
REFERRAL CENTRE REFERRALS IN
MEDICINE,
SURGERY &
OPHTHALMOLOGY
SURGERY
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Orthopedic & Soft Tissue Surgery
TPLO & Cruciate Surgery
Cemented Total Hip Replacement
Arthroscopy
Neurosurgery (spinal)
Myelography
Cervical Distraction Stabilization
Carl D. Porter
DVM, MVSC, DipACVS
Joanne Cockshutt
DVM, MVSC, DipACVS
MEDICINE
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Endoscopy
Laparoscopy
Rhinoscopy
Lithotripsy
Cystoscopy
Chemotherapy
Ultrasonography
Avery Gillick
Bsc, DVM, Msc, DipMed
Wendy Foster
Bsc, DVM, DVSc, DipACVIM
Katrina Smith
DVM, DVSc, DipACVIM
OPHTHALMOLOGY
!
!
!
!
CERF Examinations
Corneal Surgery
Slit-lamp Biomicroscopy
Ultrasonography, tonometry &
gonioscopy
Heather Gray
DVM, DipACVO
Morningside Animal Clinic
Referral Centre
4560 Kingston Road
Scarborough, Ontario
M1E 2P2
www.morningsideanimalclinic.com
Phone (416) 284-9205
Fax
(416) 287-3642
Toll Free (888) 593-7068
Some recent media items
concerning veterinarians,
clients, animals, and TAVM
National Post, April 18, 2006, p.A6:
“Canmore gardens overrun by
rabbits”
About one thousand rabbits are
tormenting the 13,000 residents of
Canmore, Alberta, about 90 km west of
Calgary. A couple of breeding pairs of
domestic rabbits were released into the
community in the early 1980s. They
have generated sufficient offspring to
devastate every garden vegetable and
flower in their path. Canmore and the
province cannot agree on a control
method, nor whose responsibility they
are. The town says rabbit control is a
provincial responsibility, but the
province says it only deals with wildlife,
and these are domesticated rabbits that
have escaped. The rabbits are winning
the battle: they remain in the centre of
town to avoid predators such as
coyotes, and drastic efforts to control
the population are thwarted by citizens
seduced by their cute and fuzzy
appearance.
Toronto Star, April 21, 2006, p.A8:
“Pit bull law ruled overly vague”
Sarnia Justice of the Peace Helen Gale
ruled that a veterinarian’s letter stating a
dog had “some” pit bull similarities was
insufficient to hold its owner
accountable to the strict pit bull laws.
Jody Kirby, owner of Titus, said she
isn’t sure of her dog’s heritage. She
described the four-year-old dog as
loving and non-aggressive. Justice Gale
ruled that the vet’s letter fell short of the
definition of a pit bull, and threw out the
charges of not having Ms. Kirby’s dog
leashed or licensed. The Crown may
appeal the verdict.
The Globe and Mail, April 22, 2006,
p.A13: “Dog poisoning suspected,
Beach veterinarian says”
A Toronto in Brief item reports on two
Dalmatians being treated at Kingston
Road Animal Hospital for antifreeze
poisoning. Shannon and her brother,
Sooner, both age 12, were in their own
backyard in the Beaches when the
poisoning occurred. After Shannon
succumbed to kidney damage, police
and Toronto Animal Control were
called. Sooner is still being treated
aggressively, but his prognosis looks
grim.
Toronto Star, April 23, 2006, p.A7:
“Woman hospitalized after pit bulls
attack her”
Residents in the Islington Avenue and
Bloor St. West area called police when
they witnessed two pit bulls attack a 28year-old woman at 9a.m. in the
morning. They tried to protect the
woman from the dogs, then covered her
with a blanket. Police chased one pit
bull down Monkton Avenue, hit the dog
with their car, then shot it dead. Animal
Control took the second dog into
custody. The woman, who is expected
to recover, was treated in hospital for
injuries to her arms and legs, but may
need reconstructive surgery. Animal
Control is still investigating.
Toronto Star, April 24, 2006, p.A2:
“Bison to roam Siberia again”
Canada is donating 15 breeding pairs of
wood bison to help repopulate a tundra
region in the Republic of Sakha, in
northeastern Russia. Most will be
released after a one-year quarantine, and
a few pairs will be kept for breeding and
research purposes. Thirty animals are
insufficient to create a viable breeding
herd, but researchers wanted to make
sure the animals could adapt before
introducing large numbers of them. The
project has been planned for decades,
but no one wanted to foot the $300,000
transportation bill until the President of
Sakha’s persuaded a local diamond
mining company to lend one of its
enormous Ilyushin cargo planes for the
job. The 22-hour flight from Edmonton
was uneventful, with no deaths or major
injuries. Canada’s conservation efforts
have upgraded the wood bison’s status
from ‘endangered” to “threatened”;
more than 4000 wood bison now roam
Canada
Toronto Star, April 30, 2006, p.D1:
“Holy cow! Birds got grammar!”
Psychologist Timothy Gentner of the
University of California at San Diego,
put European starlings through a series
of tests. The starling is considered an
intellectual heavyweight in the bird
world; it uses a vast array of rattle and
warble sounds in its songs, and can
mimic foreign sounds, including human
words. It was previously thought that
only humans were capable of a
grammatical trick known as recursion,
which is placing words in sub-clauses
within a sentence to give it an entirely
new meaning. Previous research with
tamarind monkeys at Harvard had failed
to demonstrate recursion. Gentner’s
researchers tested starlings differently.
Instead of trying to see if the starlings
understood grammar, they tried
teaching them grammar using the birds’
own vocabulary of eight rattles and
eight warbles. After thousands of trials,
nine out of eleven starlings were
successfully trained to press a button if
they heard a recursive song pattern and
not press it if they heard a simple
pattern. The results, published in the
journal, Nature, invigorate the debate
about what makes human languages
unique.
National Post, April 25, 2006, p.A20:
“Snuppy, the cloned puppy, survives
scandal to celebrate first birthday”
Snuppy, the world’s first and only
cloned dog, celebrated his first birthday
Article continues on next page
October 2006 Page 11
Article cont’d from previous page
with two of his favorite foods: ice
cream and sausages. The dog, born to a
yellow Labrador surrogate mother, is in
good health and weighs about 29
kilograms. Hwang Woo-suk, director of
the difficult and costly research to
produce Snuppy, remains under
investigation for possible fraud and
ethics violations. Snuppy was the lone
survivor of two dogs produced after
1095 reconstructed embryos were
inserted into 123 surrogates.
Toronto Sun, April 28, 2006, p.5: “A
place to call home”
“Marley” is a three-year-old, LabradorRhodesian Ridgeback cross stray who
lived on a beach in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
When 51-year-old Lesley Ferrier first
saw Marley, he was deathly thin and
limping on an injured leg. She fed him
food from the resort buffet when he
turned up at night. Before going back to
Canada, Ms. Ferrier contacted the
Animal House Jamaica shelter and asked
for someone to help Marley. A shelter
worker found Marley and had his
injured leg treated. He was then
vaccinated and treated for ear mites,
fleas, ticks and worms. Ms. Ferrier then
made a $1,200 donation to the shelter.
SkyService flew a kennel to Jamaica to
free, and Air Canada waived the cost of
his flight to Canada where Ms. Ferrier
will keep him in her home in Aurora.
National Post, May 2, 2006, p.A3:
“Ruby hired by activists opposed to
bird cull”
The Ministry of Natural Resources is
set to approve its fourth annual cull of
cormorants on High Bluff Island in
Presqu’ile Provincial Park, south of
Brighton, and east of Toronto. MNR
began culling the park birds in 2003 as
part of a management strategy. The
exploding cormorant population was
destroying trees and other vegetation,
and this affected the habitats of other
bird species. A 2004 Ministry report
states the cormorant tree-nesting
activity has killed all the trees on Gull
Island. The Ontario Federation of
Anglers and Hunters supports the cull,
which says the bird population in the
Great Lakes is too far out of balance to
Page 12 October 2006
ignore. But a group of activists,
Cormorant Defenders International,
plans to launch a fleet of canoes, kayaks
and small motor boats to protest and
document the culling. They have
retained criminal defense lawyer Clayton
Ruby to be on hand in the event their
groups has questions about their
constitutional rights to document the
cull. The group claims the cormorants
have co-existed for centuries with the
species they are now said to endanger,
and that the damage they cause to
vegetation is part of the natural cycle of
decomposition and regeneration.
Toronto Star, May 5, 2006, p.B1:
“City barks, but it won’t bite”
The timing of November’s municipal
election prompted the city’s economic
development and parks committee delay
setting a new off-leash dog policy. This
issue pits parents with children against
dog owners in the fight for a share of
city parkland. City staff have already
proposed rules for off-leash areas and
for paid dog walkers, but councilors
postponed the vote, giving the excuse
that more public consultation was
needed, as well as more discussion at
community councils ward meetings.
Toronto’s dog population is estimated
between 250,000 and 500,000. Of its
1500 parks, only 32 have official leashfree zones and 29 of those are in the old
city of Toronto. The new policy to
create off-leash areas is supposed to
distribute them more uniformly
throughout Toronto. The report also
sets an annual $100 fee for the city’s
1200 professional dog walkers. More
contentious is the report’s proposal that
leaves the creation of new leash-free
zones to the discretion of local city
councilors, residents, and park
supervisors. Many park users worry
this process will allow small groups of
dog owners to lobby their councilors
and override the best interests of a
neighborhood.
The Globe and Mail, May 9, 2006,
p.A15: “Therapy dog a carrier of C.
difficile”
The Journal of Emerging Infectious
Diseases reports that a poodle involved
in a hospital visitation program at an
unnamed hospital in south-central
Ontario was discovered to be carrying
the Clostridium difficile bacterial strain.
This strain has caused severe epidemics
of the intestinal disease in Quebec, part
of the United States, and Britain. The
dog was not evidently ill, but was
shedding bacteria. There is no proof the
dog infected any patients, but the
unnamed facility was reluctant to share
information, except to say that they did
note an increase in cases around the
time the dog was tested. The findings
suggest hospitals should have clearer
rules about which rooms therapy
animals are allowed to visit, and that
staff and patients should wash their
hands before and after contact with a
visiting dog or cat.
National Post, May 12, 2006, p.A3:
“Alligator grabs, kills jogger near
canal”
A 28-year-old Fort Lauderdale woman,
Yovy Suarez Jimenez, was attacked by
an alligator while she paused from her
jogging routine to sit on a canal’s edge
on a bicycle path. No one saw the
attack, but Ms. Suarez’s body showed
no signs of having been dragged.
Wildlife officers are still trying to find
the alligator, which they will kill.
Alligator attacks are relatively rare; Ms.
Suarez’s attack was the 18th fatal attack
in Florida since the 1940’s. Expert say a
recent lack of rain is motivating the
gators out of the wild and into ponds
and canals in residential areas.
National Post, May 12, 2006, p.A13:
“Body snatchers sent to prison for
12 years”
Three animal rights activists were jailed
for 12 years and another for four years
after all pled guilty to a charge of
conspiring to blackmail the owners of a
farm which bred guinea pigs for
medical research purposes. The Hall
family, owners of the farm, were the
target of a pedophile smear campaign,
death threats, malicious phone calls,
hoax bombs and arson attacks. These
tactics were also used on the Hall’s
local pub, their golf club, and even their
dry cleaners, causing the Hall family to
be shunned by most of the town of
Newchurch in Staffordshire, central
England. In October, 2004, animal
rights activists exhumed and stole the
body of the mother-in-law of one of the
farm owners. Her body was only
recovered last month after its location
was revealed by one of the three
activists. This final depraved act
grabbed national attention and turned
public opinion against the group.
Toronto Star, May 13, 2006, p.L3:
“Don’t let your little ones read this
story”
The generally held view that infanticide
is pathological has been shaken with
recently gathered and abundant evidence
that “bad” mothering is not only
common in nature, but plays a part in a
reproductive game plan. Some mothers
eat their young; some pit one young
against the other in a fight to the death,
and some raise one set of their babies
on the flesh of their siblings. Among
several mammals, including lions, mice
and monkeys, females will either
spontaneously abort their fetuses or
abandon their newborns when times
prove difficult or a new male appears.
Panda bears give birth to twins in the
wild, but never raise more than one cub.
This is a topic rarely discussed by zoos
with panda displays due to its bad PR
content. Emperor penguin females lay
two eggs each breeding season, with
the second egg being 60% larger than
the first. Just before the second egg is
laid, the mother kicks the first egg out
of the nest. These draconian tactics
developed in creatures that live in harsh
or uncertain environments. In bad
times, the mother can’t raise several
young, so if the primary, stronger chick
survives, the other one must die. This
behavior has also been observed in
birds, where it is the siblings who gang
up and kill the weakest chick. Scott
Forbes, professor of biology at the
University of Winnipeg and the author
of A Natural History of Families, says
these practices “are efficient”.
“Cannibalizing the victim serves the dual
function of providing a timely meal and
ensuring that there is one less mouth to
feed.
The Globe and Mail, May 15, 2006,
p.A1: “Cry from the woods saves
cyclist after black bear mauling”
A 41-year-old man riding alone on a
single-track bike trail just outside of
Banff, Alberta was attacked by an
underweight, young male black bear.
The bear’s attack was swift, and it
dragged the victim 20 metres off the
trail. The man’s cries were heard by
two other riders who contacted the
RCMP and a park warden. They found
the bear circling its unconscious victim,
and did not back off as the officers
approached. The bear was then shot
dead. Park officials say this mauling
does not indicate a trend, but a grizzly
bear killed a woman last June in an area
west of Calgary, and two attacks also
occurred in Banff National Park in late
August of 2005. In the spring, bears
forage in the valley around Banff for
food before moving into the mountains
in summer. Young bears, such as this
four-year-old, have difficulty competing
with older bears for food, and this bear
was particularly thin. Ian Syme, Chief
Park warden, says the attack
demonstrates the need to follow safety
advice: travel in groups, make noise,
and carry bear spray. In this attack, the
victim was wearing headphones, and
would not have heard the bear
approaching.
National Post, May 16, 2006, p.A2:
“Owner fought the law and won a
flying squirrel”
The court has ruled that a self-taught
naturalist from Mississauga has won the
right to keep his U.S.-born flying
squirrel. Steve Patterson acquired
permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and Ontario’s Natural
Resources Ministry to legally import a
flying squirrel into the country. Soon
after importing it, the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency contacted him and
ordered him to give it up. The CFIA had
passed a ban on importing any squirrel
species because of a scare created by a
monkey pox epidemic in the United
States. Mr. Patterson refused, and with
lawyer Clayton Ruby help, won his case
against CFIA, with costs. CFIA
amended its regulations to allow the
importation of rodents for research,
educational purposes or zoos. The
animals must also be checked by a
veterinarian before crossing the border.
Mr. Patterson is now considering
getting a mate for his squirrel.
National Post, May 16, 2006, p.A2:
“Man shoots at squirrel, lands
charge”
Peel Regional Police responded to a
9:30am call at a two-storey home in a
residential neighborhood. The
homeowner had just found a bullet hole
that had penetrated the house’s outer
wall and his son’s bedroom wall.
Forensic investigators traced the
trajectory of the bullet and determined it
came from a nearby residence. They
arrested a man and seized an unlicensed
.22-calibre rifle. The man claimed that a
squirrel was damaging his roof, so he
tried to shoot it. Michael Joseph
Popowich, 62, is charged with several
counts involving careless use of an
unregistered firearm.
The Globe and Mail, May 16, 2006,
p.A7: “Family pets should be in
pandemic strategies, experts say”
Drs. Scott Weese and Stephen Kruth of
the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph
have published a commentary in an
upcoming issue of the journal,
Emerging Infectious Diseases, in which
they say, “The potential for household
transmission through pets should be
considered for any new disease where
information is incomplete regarding
potential hosts and the risk for
interspecies transmission.” Several
public health crises have shown that
companion animals can be infected and
even transmit disease agents: SARS,
monkeypox outbreak, H5N1 avian flu
virus. The two doctors argue that with
tens of millions of pets in households,
outbreak planners should address some
key issues such as what types of pet
should be quarantined, how to dispose
of potentially contaminated pet feces,
and how vets can treat sick animals so
as not to spread the contagion to other
animals.
The Globe and Mail, May 20, 2006,
p.T8: “Last gasp for the
Galapagos?”
Graham Watkins, director of the
Charles Darwin foundation, which coordinates conservation research in the
Galapagos Islands, worries about the
many threats to their existence as a unique,
untouched ecosystem. About 40,000 people
Article continues on next page
October 2006 Page 13
Media Alert.. cont’d from page 13
visited the islands in the late 1980s. Last
year’s figures approach 100,000 visitors, and
that number is due to increase as 650-berth
cruise ships like Disney’s Discovery make it
a regular port of call. With only 3% of the
islands not designated as a national park, the
present population of 27,000 people is set to
double within seven to twelve years. Apart
from the demands for construction materials,
energy, and fresh water, the incoming people
have no conservation mindset and find it
difficult to understand the realities of island
living, says Dr. Watkins. There is also
tension between conservationists and local
Page 14 October 2006
fishermen who ignore all conservation rules,
even those they helped write. Data suggest
the sea cucumber has been all but wiped out
from the Galapagos Islands, but fishermen
continue fishing for them. Ironically, the
fishing industry brings in at most a couple of
million dollars to the islands, whereas
tourism brings in over $223 million. Since
little of that money goes into conservation
coffers, Dr. Watkins worries about paying
for programs to foster social responsibility
and help sustain the biodiversity.
The Globe and Mail, May 23, 2006,
p.A11: “Shrinking flocks of vultures
spoil ancient culture’s funeral
rituals”
Zoroastrianism is an ancient monotheistic
religion that once dominated the middle east.
Members of that community who settled
long ago in Bombay India are known as
Parsis because it is believed their ancestors
came from Persepolis, Iran. Parsis believe in
the sanctity of earth, air, fire and water.
Instead of defiling the earth or air by burying
or cremating their dead, they place their
corpses on marble slabs in a tall stone
structure known as a Tower of Silence where
the sun dries up the body for the vultures to
feed on. This method is becoming
problematic due to India’s vultures having
become virtually extinct. According to the
United Kingdom’s Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds, the region’s eight vulture
species declined by as much as 95%
between 1988 and 1999. Researchers
searched in vain for an answer until 2004
when the U.S.-based Peregrine Fund
discovered that the vultures were being
poisoned by an anti-inflammatory drug,
diclofenac, which local farmers use to treat
cattle. Just one feeding from a tainted cattle
carcass suffices to cause renal failure in the
birds. India’s Prime Minister called for a
universal ban on diclofenac, in large part
because a harmless substitute for the drug is
available, but the Ministry of Agriculture has
done nothing. The Parsi community is in a
dire situation. Without the vultures, it can
take months for the sun alone to desiccate a
corpse to a skeleton. During that time, people
living near the Tower of Silence must put up
with the sight and smell of decaying corpses.
Traditionalists argue that such a process is
not a death with dignity. Plans to build a
giant aviary to breed a captive population of
vultures would cost millions and may not
even work. An other plan to focus the sun’s
rays with lenses into the Tower has shown
feasibility, but is viewed by some as being
theologically unacceptable.
Fall Fashion...cont’d from page 5
40 lbs., and the ultralight would haul 20 lbs.
The jogging stroller has the features you’d
expect for $329. It was a high-quality item
with suspension, brakes, weather shield,
coffee holder (for the human), a quick fold
lever, and a basket underneath. Check it out
at www.companiondogxpress.com . The
other booth item that impressed me was the
EZY dog collar and leash. It was advertised
as the original shock absorbing leash, made
with water-ski rope and bungee cord
material. It’s supposed to be good for 1500
pounds of pull, but what sold me was its
very comfortable handle and its short length
for proper dog walking. The dog collar/leash
and strollers come in a variety of colours,
including pink and camouflage. Mr. Ramsey
said that the abundance of pink was the
trickle down effect of Paris Hilton on the pet
world, a chilling observation.
This show’s ubiquitous pink, camouflage,
and bling reminded me of a scene from the
movie, The Devil Wears Prada. A fashionchallenged twentysomething, Andrea,
becomes the unlikely assistant for a top
fashion magazine editor. One day, the editor
and her staff are coordinating accessories
and clothing for the upcoming magazine
issue. Andrea snickers when they can’t
decide which of two belts is more suitable on
a model. Andrea says both belts look the
same to her, and the exercise is ultimately
pointless. The editor, played by Meryl
Streep, icily corrects her dismissive attitude
toward the fashion industry. Pointing to
Andrea’s favorite lumpy blue sweater, the
editor correctly identifies its colour as not
just blue or turquoise or lapis, but cerulean
(dark sky blue). She traces the recent fashion
history of that colour: Oscar de la Renta
introduced a collection of cerulean gowns in
2002. The following year, Yves St. Laurent
exhibited cerulean military jackets. Cerulean
quickly appeared in the collections of eight
different designers, then filtered down into
the department stores. It then trickled into
some “tragic casual corner” where Andrea
fished it out of a clearance bin. The decision
to use that single blue shade represents
millions of dollars and countless jobs. So
Andrea is not exempt from fashion industry
decisions, but in fact, had that colour
selected for her by the fashion industry. The
point of the scene is that fashion industry
trends will trickle down to affect us all
eventually. What frightens me is that the
trends are starting with Paris Hilton,
misogynistic gangsta rappers, and various
military campaigns.
October 2006 Page 15
Deadline
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Animal Behavior
Consultants
Analysis & Resolution of
Behavior Problems
in Dogs & other Companion Animals
Specializing in Canine Aggression
Available for in-home consultation. Professional References.
Serving Toronto and surrounding areas.
For information, call:
(800) 754-3920 or (905) 344-7973
Kerry Vinson, B.A. (Psychology), Cert. in Canine Behavior Problems
Page 16 October 2006
The deadline for submissions
to the November issue of
The Scalpel is October 21.
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The Scalpel publishes seven times a year
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For TAVM membership information and
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